UK Bayonetta pre-order bonuses revealed
by Richard Mitchell 
{ 46 minutes ago }
We're not sure why publishers decided that purchasing a game should be more difficult, but the recent trend of retailer exclusive pre-order goodies seems to be here to stay. Case in point: the various pre-order bonuses for Bayonetta in the UK. Those who pre-order at Play.com will receive the Bayonetta Climax Edition, pictured above on the left. Meanwhile, HMV pre-orders get a "Manga's Leading Ladies" DVD, which features "full episodes, trailers and exclusive clips" of something. Perhaps the coolest bonus, though, belongs to game.co.uk, which offers a replica of one of Bayonetta's guns, Scarborough Fair.
All three are being offered for £39.99, so the only decision you really have to make is which bonus you like the best. Well, that and whether or not you ever want to invite a pretty girl into your home.
All three are being offered for £39.99, so the only decision you really have to make is which bonus you like the best. Well, that and whether or not you ever want to invite a pretty girl into your home.
Eco-Box: a greener way to protect games
by Justin McElroy { 1 hour ago }
If you've bought a new 360 game recently, you may have already noticed this curiously Trivial Pursuit-inspired packaging being employed for titles like Left 4 Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2. According to the Viva Group, the company that designed the packaging, the new "Eco-Box" is not only better for the environment (using 20 percent less plastic and creating 31 percent less CO2 emissions) but has "no real difference in quality or performance" when compared with standard packaging.
We, on the other hand, worry that the cheaper, flimsier feel of the cases (which will come to the Wii and possibly PS3) will turn people off. After all, If we have to choose between our grandkids drowning in a melted glacier someday or holding sturdy game packaging right now, we're going to go with the packaging every single time.
We, on the other hand, worry that the cheaper, flimsier feel of the cases (which will come to the Wii and possibly PS3) will turn people off. After all, If we have to choose between our grandkids drowning in a melted glacier someday or holding sturdy game packaging right now, we're going to go with the packaging every single time.
Assassin's Creed 2 getting double dose of DLC starting January 2010
by Ludwig Kietzmann { 2 hours ago } 
Ubisoft has promised to divulge more information later this month. If we were to don our speculation hats in the meantime -- if only to cover up our Robert Langdon hair -- we'd say that "Battle of Forli" will continue the story of Caterina Sforza, who made a brief and undignified cameo in the game as a boat tutorial. The second DLC, "Bonfire of the Vanities," will likely concern the mass burning of sinful objects in Florence. Remind us to toss some of those evil feathers on the bonfire.
Dante's Inferno demo on PSN Dec. 10, XBLM Dec. 24
by Justin McElroy { 2 hours ago }
Those preferring PSN will get the demo on Dec. 10, a date which has the dual benefit of (1) being two weeks earlier and (2) not making the baby Jesus cry.
Red Dead Redemption coming April 27, trailer coming right now
by Justin McElroy { 3 hours ago }
Luckily, the trailer makes our longing finite with the new official release date of April 27 or, as you'll probably come to think of it after watching the clip, "not nearly soon enough."
Left 4 Dead 2 sold 2 million at retail in 2 weeks
by Alexander Sliwinski { 3 hours ago }
Valve also noted that information about L4D2's first batch of downloadable content would be coming very soon.
Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2
BioWare reveals Samara, Mass Effect 2's biotic bombshell
by Randy Nelson { 4 hours ago }
Samara is an elite Asari warrior who controls some incredibly potent biotic powers. Forget simply tossing enemies around -- she manipulates dark energy in order to levitate herself, as evidenced in the above video. The footage also confirms that there are still five potential party members yet to be introduced before the game ships for PC and Xbox 360 on January 26 (not March 23 as originally noted by Randy, who's clearly met his recommended daily allowance of paste.)
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 - Samara
Crackdown leaps into Games on Demand lineup
by Alexander Sliwinski { 5 hours ago }
($5). Those looking for a cheaper solution to obtaining Crackdown are advised to permanently borrow the copy their Spartan-obsessed buddies purchased for access to the Halo 3 beta years ago.If you happen to live in Japan and are interested in collecting a single, incredibly huge sphere, Beautiful Katamari is now available. Helping the Prince keep his egomaniacal father happy will cost 2000
in Japan -- there's no word on a global release yet.Lightning strikes the UK cover art of Final Fantasy XIII
by Griffin McElroy { 6 hours ago }
We've posted larger versions of the two boxes in the gallery below. Check them out, but don't let those eyes of yours wander. Yes, we know her skirt is hiked to a precarious degree. We also know that the baby Jesus is watching your every action.
Gallery: Final Fantasy XIII UK cover art
Fist of the North Star Musou hits Japan in March
by JC Fletcher { 7 hours ago }
Also, unfortunately, the company released the price for the upcoming brawler. We say "unfortunately" because it's ¥8,190 ($94.27), which probably marks the end of quite a few import plans. Koei has yet to announce a localized version of the game, but we don't think the publisher would allow a Warriors game to go unreleased.
Gallery: Fist of the North Star
[Via Andriasang]
Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond dated for Jan. 6
by Richard Mitchell { 13 hours ago }
Alongside the release date, D3 has also revealed Dexter Dare, Matt Hazard's burnt out sidekick with a sordid history -- including a prolonged "Mana abuse problem" that we're probably supposed to find hilarious. Check out some new screens and Dexter Dare character art in the gallery below.
Ubisoft envisions a future of 3-D movies, games
by Richard Mitchell { 14 hours ago }
As the wording suggests, Ubisoft's future won't necessarily be restricted to games. Mallat hopes that future game consoles will be able to render photorealistic graphics, enabling Ubisoft to create games and films using the same assets -- similar to what the company did with the Assassin's Creed: Lineage short films.
Of course, enjoying this "360-degree entertainment" will require a special television set. Still, Mallat is firmly behind the technology, saying that it does for images what Dolby did for sound. "No one wants to go back to mono," says Mallat. That's all well and good, but a huge number of gamers have yet to even upgrade to an HDTV at all, let alone one that can take advantage of 3D technology.
[Via VideoGamer]
'Pro plantiff' Erik Estavillo subpoenas Bill Gates in RROD suit
by Xav de Matos { 17 hours ago }
Erik Estavillo -- otherwise referred to as a "professional plantiff" by GamePolitics for his laundry list of legal claims -- has subpoenaed Microsoft's Bill Gates in his suit targeting the company for his run in with the Red Ring of Death. According to court documents filed in a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the subpoena demands Gates hand over paperwork that reveal the "true and relative number of actual Xbox 360 units that have been fixed by Microsoft over the past 3 years." Estavillo also seeks data pertaining to the number of broken Xbox 360 consoles and the amount of people banned from Xbox Live for "piracy" between November 28, 2008 and 2009.
While Estavillo is looking for answers to questions every journalist has been seeking, his track record of legal battles places him in eccentric territory. Estavillo is also suing Activision Blizzard claiming characters in World of Warcraft walk at an intentionally slow pace in order to bilk customers of more monthly fees. In the claim, he subpoenaed actress Winona Ryder and Depeche Mode member Martin Gore. Estavillo has also filed suit against Sony for being banned from online play, stemming from comments he supposedly made during matches of Resistance: Fall of Man; and Nintendo, for issuing firmware updates that disabled his Homebrew Channel.
While Estavillo is looking for answers to questions every journalist has been seeking, his track record of legal battles places him in eccentric territory. Estavillo is also suing Activision Blizzard claiming characters in World of Warcraft walk at an intentionally slow pace in order to bilk customers of more monthly fees. In the claim, he subpoenaed actress Winona Ryder and Depeche Mode member Martin Gore. Estavillo has also filed suit against Sony for being banned from online play, stemming from comments he supposedly made during matches of Resistance: Fall of Man; and Nintendo, for issuing firmware updates that disabled his Homebrew Channel.
PSA: Futureshop slashing prices on Dragon Age, Left 4 Dead 2, NFS: Shift
by Xav de Matos { 20 hours ago }
The online and in-store sale ends on December 3, so make sure to defrost your car, dust off your skates and hit the store ASAP. And before you ask: Yes, Rock Band 2's special edition is priced at $99 and does include a free mullet kit. We don't know what that is, but we know we want it. More Canadian deals can be found after the break.
Update: Best Buy Canada is offering similar discounts.
Prince of Persia dialogue writer wins UK Writer's Guild award
by Griffin McElroy { 20 hours ago }
Normally, this is where we'd drop in a quote from Walsh about how excited he was to receive the award, but it doesn't seem that anyone initiated the optional dialogue with him following the Writers' Guild awards ceremony. Too bad, something tells us we've missed out on the best part.
