Homefront: Xbox 360 Update, Ability Pack and DLC Unveiled

By Mark

Kaos Studios have revealed that the first piece of DLC for Homefront is entitled 'Fire Sale' and will be bringing two new multiplayer maps for players to experience and that on the day of release, June 7th, the 870 Express Shotgun and a Homefront theme will be free to download.

The Xbox 360 update which is now available is targeted at the "overall game stability and network connectivity", among other features whereas the 'Ability Pack' that is also available now aims to spice up the gameplay.


The Ability Pack will bring:

• Ice Cold: Invisible on thermal views and airstrike sensors
• Situational Awareness: Enemy gamertag appears when shot
• EMP Tactician: Deal more damage vs EMP'd vehicles
• Short Fuse: Reduced cook time on frag grenades
• Bomb Suit: Take less damage from explosives

The title update fixes:

• Assist points for vehicle kills
• Rank Resets
• Game returns to MP menu instead of Main Menu after leaving a match
• Max ping limits for server connections (prevent connections to distant servers)
• Game freeze & hitching
• Joining Friends feature
• Beacon errors
• Party Connectivity
• Various other fixes

Source - Homefront

Don't Expect to see Metal Gear Solid 5 at E3

By Mark

If you had any hopes of seeing a Metal Gear Solid 5 at this years E3 then let them fade away, speaking in the latest Kojima Productions podcast the Metal Gear father has answered many questions in relation to this years show and about the franchise in general.

The folks over at Andriasang have translated some of the questions for those of us unable to speak Japanese and here they are: 

Will you appear at the Microsoft E3 press conference? <-- NO
 
Will you announce Metal Gear Solid 5? <-- NO
 
Will MGS 3D be released at the end of 2011? <-- YES
 
Is Doctor Lautrec the new title from the Metal Gear staff? <-- NO (with a laugh)

Did Kojima Productions Not Work on Metal Gear Arcade? <-- YES
 
Is Gray Fox the main character in MGS Rising? <-- NO
 
Will MGS Rising's multiplayer be shown? <-- NO
 
Is MGS Rising's release date November 1, 2011? <-- NO
 
Will MGS4 be ported to NGP? <-- NO
 
Are you planning something big for Metal Gear's 25th anniversary next year? <-- YES

So there it is, some kind of insight into what Hideo Kojima has planned and what you can expect (or rather can't expect) to see for now.

Resistance 3 Dated, Pre-Order Bonuses and Editions Revealed

By Mark

The release date for Resistance 3 has just been officially confirmed for the US, UK and Europe and with it come the pre-order incentives and special editions of the game. The title will be launching on September 6th in North America, the 9th in the UK and the 7th in Europe.

As for pre-order bonuses here is what the US can obtain from various stores:

Gamestop - A replica necklace of Chimeran teeth and a multiplayer booster pack that allows you to start at level 5, also enabling to to create custom classes right from the word go.

Wal-Mart - A set of five custom online titles including 'The Sentinal'

Amazon - The No. 60 Air Fuel Grenade that sticks to just about any surface while deploying a cloud of flammable vapour which can then explode.

Best Buy - A multiplayer skin for Lt. Nathan Hale and exclusive taunt ability.

Canada and other US Retailers - SRPA Soldier multiplayer skin.


While the bonuses are the same for UK and Europe, what bonuses are tied to which retailers haven't been released yet so keep a look out.

As for the editions of the game apart from the standard one, there is the Resistance 3 Special Edition which comes with a steelbook case and a voucher for all of the aforementioned bonuses and to make it more special the edition will also have a special 'vinyl effect' bluray disc for the game complete with ribbed vinyl feeling on the surface.

Lastly, there is the Resistance 3 Survivor Edition which will contain:

• Canvas Satchel
• Chimera Firing Range Poster
• Fight for Freedom Toy Soldiers
• Joseph Capelli's Journal
• SRPA Hip Flask
• SRPA Playing Cards

As well as all that you still get what comes with the special edition and as for prices on these we still don't know but they're definitely packing alot in. Let us know what you think of these in the comments below!

Source - EU Playstation Blog/US Playstation Blog
 

First Gameplay of BloodRayne: Betrayal

By Mark

While the 3DS title BloodRayne: The Shroud has been put on hold by publisher Majesco, there's good news for series fans as we'll be able to see and play BloodRayne: Betrayed this summer on XBLA and PSN.

The game will be the first outing for Rayne since her last appearance in BloodRayne 2 way back in the days of PS2 and with developer WayForward at the helm and a new 2D artstyle to boot, the game is looking pretty slick. It's a side scrolling hack 'n' slash and while there are a shedload available already, this one is still looking good enough to compete.

As far as the narrative goes, Majesco have said: "Begrudgingly recruited by the vampire hunting Brimstone Society for one final mission, Rayne teams up with a mysterious new friend to stop an evil vampire massacre,.

Deathspank Set to Return in 'The Baconing'

By Mark

Hothead Games, the team behind the Deathspank games is set to return and is bringing it's hero back in a game eloquently entitled 'The Baconing'.

So what's it about? Players will once again take control of Deathspank who is out to find the legendary 'Fires of Bacon'. Being described as a "Monkey Island meets Diablo experience" by developers falls in line with previous titles so fans shouldn't worry about any huge change to the game. 


A more in depth description comes straight from HotHead themselves:

"Battle four all new bosses like the Minorque, fight alongside a new sidekick named Bob from Marketing, tame an all new insane level of difficulty and visit all new locations such as The Forbidden Zone, The Forest of Tomorrow, Barnacle Lake and others as you seek out to find the locations of the infamous Fires of Bacon to once and for all destroy the evil power of the thongs."

The Baconing is set to release on XBLA, PSN and PC this summer and here's a trailer for those who can't wait to hunt for the Fires of Bacon.

Soundtrack to Portal 2 Now Free for All

By Mark

When playing through Portal 2 did you love the music that accompanied it? If so then Valve have pieced together a 22 song soundtrack that is available to obtain via its website.

This is the first of three 'aural stimulation packages' (or albums) and features all of those electro beats that you'll remember hearing when solving the many puzzles of the game and while the soundtrack wasn't a masterpiece in its own right, it's still pretty decent and free so worth a download. 

Aside from the album, there are also six ringtones for Android and iPhone that are free to download as well, so get yourself over to Think With Portals

First DLC for LA Noire News Coming Next Week

By Mark

More news that has come from the land of Twitter now, Rockstar are set to release the first proper news about the initial DLC package for crime-thriller title L.A Noire.

As far as we know it will be titled 'The Nicholson Electroplating Arson Case' due to a listing from Best Buy which said it was due to hit on June 21st.

I'm expecting there to be quite a lot of DLC for this game due to what was said to be cut, not to mention the fact that there were several 'departments' that we didn't experience in the original title. If you're still on the fence about the game check back for our review which will be up fairly soon.

Source - Twitter

No Lead Platform for Modern Warfare 3 - Infinity Ward

By Mark

Does knowing what lead platform a game is being developed for interest you? If so, you might be interested to know that Infinity Ward are saying that for upcoming Modern Warfare 3 there isn't a 'lead' for development.

What with the all the hullabaloo that has gone on in the past with some PS3 users claiming that the Xbox 360 iterations of the Call of Duty franchise tend to get preferential treatment, Robert Bowling (creative strategist at IW) has said that both versions are monitored closely for performance.

Speaking on Twitter he said that: "We don't have lead platforms, we develop each version alongside each other," and that the "Xbox 360 is running at same as PS3."

As far as the PC version of the title is concerned he had this to say: "is the one platform that receives unique optimisations", he also noted that the game will be"locked at 60 FPS which means it will never go below it, its can always go above 60 FPS".

Good to know for those fans worried about a somewhat inferior version arriving on their console of choice, time will tell though to see if this is the case.

Source - Twitter 

Shadows of the Damned pre-order incentive revealed

By Jonny

EA has just revealed the pre-order bonus for Shadows of the Damned and they're pulling out the big names for this one. With every pre-order, well every pre-order from Amazon or Gamestop, you will get access to the Shadows of the Damned soundtrack for digital download.

The soundtrack features 12 songs and as many of you may know, come from the critically acclaimed composer Akira Yamaoka, who did the fantastically creepy soundtracks for the Silent Hill games.

Shadows of the Damned is being developed by Grasshopper, who have some very big names in the industry on board including Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. The game was recently delayed for two weeks by EA, which means the new release date will be June 21 in North America.