XBOX 360 Digest

Splinter Cell: Conviction Demo?

Andrew Dai — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:41:47 +0000

In a recent Q&A video response posted by Splinter Cell: Conviction Creative Director Maxime Béland, the possibility of a demo was brought up. When asked about a release date for a demo, he simply replied,

Yes, there will be one. I can’t tell you what map or when it’s gonna be released yet, my lips are sealed.

Check out the full video below, and stay tuned to XBOX 360 Digest for more information about Splinter Cell: Conviction. While you’re at it, why not mark your calendars for April 15th, 2010, when it is slated for release?

Trailer for Brink

Allen Kim — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:19:39 +0000

The new cinematic trailer for Brink has just been released. In addition, the official site has also just been relaunched. It allows you to explore the Ark, learn more about the factions, check out Brink’s gameplay features, as well as gain access to the latest news, updates, and assets.

Mass Effect 2 “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” Lands April 6th

Allen Kim — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:59:40 +0000

The long rumored 12th and final member of Commander Shepard’s dirty dozen, Kasumi, will finally be making an appearance on April 6th. While pricing has not yet been announced, this will be the first paid for DLC for Mass Effect 2. Also included in this DLC will be the Locust SMG, a flashbang loyalty power (undoubtedly gained through Kasumi’s loyalty mission) and a new achievement.

“Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” will revolve around a recovery mission of some sort (being that Kasumi is a thief) and it deals with a dirty art collector. Expect more details to drop soon as Bioware finalizes the DLC pricing and formally makes an announcement.

[Via Joystiq]

Battlefield: BC2 Map Pack Available March 30th

Allen Kim — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:01:10 +0000

EA is set to release a new VIP Map Pack on March 30th. Undoubtedly taking a shot at Infinity Ward and Call of Duty, EA is taking aim with a free map pack set for release on the same day as the ‘mapathy’ cure. “We’re dedicated to taking care of this product for a long time – helping you avoid “mapathy” without getting nickel-and-dimed.” Taking no shame in their statements, they do bring up a good point as it “helps avoid segmenting the community, making sure everyone can play together having the same maps available.”

VIP Map Pack 2 contains the following:

Arica Harbor Conquest mode – US Command launches a break through action directly at the Russian base. Collateral damage is of no consequence. Capture and secure tactical positions in Conquest Mode across the vast Arica Harbor map.

Laguna Presa Rush mode – The valley and surrounding mountains possess a strategic value in the battle for South America, and an infantry assault supported by light armor vehicles is likely by both armies as US forces defend the nearby Dam.

[Via Battlefield Blog]

Music Game DLC for the Week of 3/14/10

Cody Sanchez — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:02:53 +0000

It’s not even Friday yet, and Harmonix has announced it’s next batch of songs scheduled for release, including some Lady Gaga (!) songs, along with Eric Cartman’s own version of Poker Face. Since Guitar Hero content for each month is revealed at the beginning of a month, we can tell you the next DLC a bit earlier! Read on for the full track listing!

Rock Band

The perfect artist for huge parties will soon be in the perfect party game! Next Tuesday, Lady Gaga will be joining the Rock Band lineup with a 4 song pack, along with Eric Cartman’s version, the full track listing as follows:

Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Just Dance – Lady Gaga
Monster – Lady Gaga
Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
Poker Face – Eric Cartman

Each track will be 160 MSP, with the Lady Gaga Track Pack costing 560 MSP. It is currently unknown if any song will be playable in LEGO Rock Band, but don’t hold your breath.

Guitar Hero

Another week, another three song pack! Who doesn’t love traditions? Next week, Celtic punk band Flogging Molly will be joining the Guitar Hero fray. How are they going to manage charting seven musicians onto only four dedicated instrument slots? Who knows!

(No More) Paddy’s Lament
The Seven Deadly Sins
Requiem for a Dying Song

Each track will cost 160 MSP, with the Flogging Molly track pack will cost 440 MSP.

As a reminder, this week’s scheduled Ok Go Track Pack for Guitar Hero will be released in just a few short hours.

Beginning image courtesy of Kotaku’s brilliant Photoshop skills.

Do You Suffer from Mapathy?

Nick Kortendick — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:28:21 +0000

Are you ready for some new Modern Warfare 2 maps? Today Robert Bowling, the community manager at Infinity Ward tweeted,

http://www.mapathy.com – Feeling the effects of Mapathy? It’s okay, the cure is hitting #Xboxlive in just 3 short weeks. #MW2

On March 30, we can all expect to see the first DLC for Modern Warfare 2 exclusively on Xbox Live first.

[Via @fourzerotwo]

New Mass Effect 2 Heavy Weapon Available

Allen Kim — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:27:05 +0000

Bioware has released a new heavy weapon, the Arc Projector, on the Cerberus Network. With the Firewalker DLC pack on its way, Bioware has made the Cerberus Network a worthwhile investment for those who purchased the game new.

The lack of weapon options was one of the drawbacks of Mass Effect 2. Hopefully a new SMG and Heavy Pistol eventually make its way into the arsenal too.

Read on for screenshots, more info and a possible preview of the next DLC.

The Arc Projector ionizes targets with a non-visible laser to ready them for a high-voltage electrical attack. As the lightning-like bolt hits its first target, a sophisticated auto-targeting system paints succeeding targets with the ionization laser, allowing the electricity to take the path of least resistance and arc between them. An entire enemy strike team can be shocked to death with a few pulls of the trigger. Careful aiming will also allow the user to arc shots to nearby explosives as well.

Of all the Heavy Weapons available, I found myself using the Collector Particle Beam for the majority of the game. However, the Arc Projector appears to be good for crowd control, making this a potentially useful Heavy weapon to have on hand.

* If you look at the 2nd screenshot, it appears as if Shepard is wearing a new set of armor. A hint for what the next DLC will be?

Deals of the Week

Greg Halter — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:50:10 +0000

This week all Xbox Live Gold members can get Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack Bundle for 1600 MS Points(normally 2000 MS Points).

Around Retailers:

Toys-R-Us

Buy 1 Get 1 $20 off all in stock games $39.99 and up
Final Fantasy XIII with $13 gift card $59.99

Target

Final Fantasy XIII with $10 gift card $59.99
Fifa 2010 $49.99
Assassins Creed II $39.99

Best Buy

Modern Warfare 2 $49.99
The Godfather II $17.99
Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection $17.99
Dead Space $17.99
NCAA Basketball 10 $39.99
Band Hero Kit $149.99

Microsoft to Show Full Natal Lineup at E3

Allen Kim — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:40:10 +0000

This summer at E3, the biggest trade show in gaming, Microsoft plans to unveil a full lineup of games designed for Natal. Set to be the biggest release of the year, expectations run high for the full body motion sensing hardware.

"We have very strong first and third-party developer support for [Natal],” said Mount according to IGN [thanks Edge]. "Needless to say, we’re putting some of our best people on coming up with great game ideas for this, and we’re going to have some great stuff. It’s part of the reason that we announced [Natal] as early as last summer so that we’d have time to get kits out and get the entire game developer community developing games for it."

While Sony and Nintendo would be hard pressed to say it, you know they must be extremely nervous over the potential impact this could have in the console war. If successful, this could potentially make the Nintendo Wii nearly obsolete and the Sony motion controller an afterthought. Not to mention, it would tip the scales in favor of the 360 for the remainder of the console’s lifecycle.

[Via Industry Gamers]

New Releases: Spring Preview

Rich Ball — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:37:59 +0000

Were you just wondering what your thumbs will be doing every Tuesday for the next few months? Wonder no more, Digester! X3D has the answer, and it goes something like this:

Tuesday, March 16
* Dragon Age Origins: Awakening (EA, $39.99)
* Metro 2033 (THQ, $59.99)
* Prison Break: The Conspiracy (Deep Silver, $59.99)
* Resonance of Fate (Sega, $59.99)
* Supreme Commander 2 (Square-Enix, $59.99)

Tuesday, March 23
* Clash of the Titans (Namco, $59.99)
* How to Train Your Dragon (Activision, $49.99)
* Just Cause 2 (Square Enix, $59.99)
* MotoGP 09/10 (Capcom, $49.99)

Tuesday, March 30
* Samurai Shodown Sen (Xseed, $49.99)

Tuesday, April 6
* Borderlands Double Add-On: Zombie Island/Underdome Riot (2K Games, $19.99)

Tuesday, April 13
* Dead to Rights: Retribution (Namco, $59.99)
* Splinter Cell: Conviciton (Ubisoft, $59.99) (Collector’s Edition: $79.99)

Tuesday, April 20
* Autobahn Polizei (Tommo, $29.99)
* Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper (Dreamcatcher, $29.99)

Tuesday, April 27
* 2010 FIFA World Cup (EA, $59.99)
* Nier (Square Enix, $59.99)
* Super Street Fighter IV (Capcom, $39.99)
* Record of Agarest War Limited Edition (Aksys, $59.99)

Tuesday, May 4
* Iron Man 2 (Sega, $59.99)

Tuesday, May 11
* Swarm (505 Games, $49.99)

Tuesday, May 18
* Alan Wake (Microsoft, $59.99) (Limited Edition $79.99)
* Backbreaker (505 Games, $49.99)
* Lost Planet 2 (Capcom, $59.99)
* Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft, $59.99)
* Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar, $59.99)
* Shrek Forever After (Activision, $49.99)
* Skate 3 (EA, $59.99)
* Split / Second (Disney, $59.99)

Tuesday, May 25
* Blur (Activision, $59.99)
* LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Brothers, $49.99)
* Mafia II (2K Games, $59.99)
* Sniper (City Interactive, $29.99)
* Tides Of War (505 Games, $49.99)
* UFC Undisputed 2010 (THQ, $59.99)

Tuesday, June 1
* Alpha Protocol (Sega, $59.99)
* Kane & Lynch 2 (Square Enix, $59.99)
* King of Fighters MI 2.5 (SNK, $59.99)
* Pure Futbol (Ubisoft, $59.99)
* R.U.S.E. (Ubisoft, $59.99)

Tuesday, June 8
* Field & Stream: Outdoorsman Challenge (505 Games, $49.99)
* Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (EA, $59.99)

Tuesday, June 16
* Naughty Bear (505 Games, $49.99)
* Toy Story 3 The Video Game (Disney, $49.99)

Tuesday, June 22
* Transformers: War for Cybertron (Activision, $59.99)

Tuesday, June 29
* Front Mission Evolved (Square Enix, $59.99)
* Max Payne 3 (Rockstar, $59.99)
* Ninety-Nine Nights 2 (Konami, $59.99)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned (Disney, $59.99)
* Singularity (Activision, $59.99)
* Two Worlds II (South Peak, $59.99)

Of course the dates and prices could change, but that’s what our weekly New Releases column is for. Anyway, you’d still better go ahead and pick up a 2nd job to support your habit. It’s gonna be a great spring!