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Listen to Guild Wars 2 Season 2's soundtrack now
Were you intrigued -- tantalized, perhaps -- with the recent talk on Guild Wars 2's new orchestra-recorded soundtrack for the second season of the living world? Well now you can listen to a chunk of it, thanks to the studio and SoundCloud. The team has posted six new tracks for the first episode of season two, including "The Fall of the Zephyrites" and "The Arid Sands." Check out ArenaNet's SoundCloud page to listen through them and let us know what you think!
Game of Thrones Ascent ties updates to Season 3
Watch out, Defiance: You're not the only transmedia synergy wiz-kid on the block! Game of Thrones Ascent announced that it's started to release weekly updates that will tie into the previous night's broadcasted TV episode. As the first episode of Game of Thrones' third season premiered last night, the first episode of Ascent's new content went live today. It's titled Episode 1: Valar Dohaeris and adds "dozens" of new quests, multiplayer alliance challenges, a power leaderboard, and a siege workshop. Developer Disruptor Beam released some stats for the title (which is still in beta!). The studio says that 43% of the players so far have pledged allegiance to the Starks, 25% to the Targaryens, and 15% to the Lannisters. More players choose to fight (35%) than any other action, and the Neck is the most popular destination in the game world (16%). [Source: Disruptor Beam press release]
Black Prophecy releases first content update, launches tomorrow in NA
It's a big week for Black Prophecy, as Reakktor Media's starchild both lights the fires of a North American launch and kicks the tires of its first content update. While Black Prophecy has been released in Europe for some time now, tomorrow will see the official start of the North American servers. So if you've been itching for free interstellar combat in the region, then you've got less than 24 hours to go! Along with the NA launch is the release of Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima. This sizable update is adding a new mission hub, a new sector set, additional stories, ship specials, an email system, and the ability to reset player skills. You can read the full patch notes for Episode 1 over on the Black Prophecy forums, and then hit the jump to check out the exciting trailer!
Black Prophecy heads into the Inferno with Episode 1
While we're still waiting for Black Prophecy to officially launch here in North America -- where it's still in open beta -- Reakktor Media is already going full throttle with the next update for the game called Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima. In Episode 1, level 15+ players will head to Enzo's Enigmatic Emporium of Exotic Elegance (say that three times fast) to tackle a set of new missions. Black Prophecy is also adding an interesting progression obstacle in the form of bound sectors. To get to the next sector -- and next hub -- groups of players will have to duke it out with fairly tough enemies guarding the passageways. Episode 1 will also include a better message system, in-game email, new jobs, additional missions, and a change in PvP rewards. Black Prophecy's first update is slated for an early July release. To help you during this nail-biting waiting period, why not help yourself to a complimentary screenshot below? %Gallery-46991%
Back to the Future: Episode 1 requires '121GIGAWATTS' for free ride
Telltale's first episode of the Back to the Future game won't be free -- unless you've got power. Specifically, we're talking: "121GIGAWATTS" of power! That code, first spotted in the Blu-ray release of the time-traveling movie trilogy, grants access to a free copy of the first episode of the five-part series on PC or Mac. Unless you're just "chicken," you can now make like a tree and register in advance for the free episode (which requires a Telltale account). Redeemers will be contacted in the future about when they can go back ... to the future -- in other words, this December.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 now out on iPhone
I've been away at GDC Online this week, so I almost missed it, but a brand new Sonic the Hedgehog game (that Sega is calling part 4, Episode 1) is out now for the iPhone. This is a pretty big deal -- not only is this a brand new title in the Sonic series, but it's also not coming out for other consoles until next week, so Sega has actually premiered this game on Apple's iOS platform. Early reviews on the game are terrific. It's a 3D title that plays from a 2D angle, so this is old-school Sonic platforming with brand new levels, graphics, sounds, and music. Plus, there are two exclusive levels on the iPhone and iPod touch, so Apple is really getting some love from Sega here. Of course, this is being labeled as a premium title, so the price of US$9.99 on the iPhone-only version might provide a little sticker shock for players used to cheaper games. Still, the title is selling for five dollars more on other platforms, so when you consider that you're getting this game early, as a native title, with exclusive content, the $10 price is about as justified as it's going to get. But even if you don't go for the purchase, this will definitely be one to watch. The app's currently number 3 on top grossing and number 11 on the top paid apps list, but a huge success here will mean a lot for both Sega's and other large publishers' strategies on the App Store going forward.
Phoenix Wright, Half Life 2, and Chocobo Panic available now
Here's some quick hits on a few big name releases across Apple platforms. First up, the funny and addictive DS hit Phoenix Wright has made its way to the iPhone, and you can pick it up for US $4.99. While it's kept the two-screen gameplay from Nintendo's handheld, it's still a great time. Square Enix has released another original title for the iPad; Chocobo Panic is a cute little puzzle/action game in which you grab and release the Final Fantasy-famous birds. Those expecting anything deeper will be disappointed, but if you want a fun touchscreen game with the slimmest of Final Fantasy ties, I hear it's fun. Finally, as announced yesterday, Half Life 2 is now available for the Mac via Steam. And it tuns out that Episodes 1 and 2 have been released as well. The game itself is a jaw-dropping $7, and you can get the two add-ons for $5.59 each. If you already own them on Steam, they're all available via Steam Play, so that means you already own them on the Mac, too; just head into Steam and download away. AAA companies releasing games natively on Apple platforms? Man, it's a great time to be a Mac gamer.
Cinemassively: Sand, Episode 1
If you're just tuning in, we've been following the storyline of Scion City in Second Life. So far, they've discovered a vehicle that allowed them to uncover a transmission device. A mysterious woman transmits a message to them, but it is not yet clear what she wants ...Episode 1, directed by Michael Verdi, sees one of the explorers doubting that any life could exist below the sand. The transmission device begins playing the commercial for Scion City, which gives them the idea that if they unearth the structure, they'll have enough power to save their colony. After a bit of digging, they find a vehicle with a skeleton in it, and a hatch that leads to something. When they struggle to open it, an explorer decides to use the vehicle they found in Episode 0 to help. Did they survive the crash? What's inside the hatch? Tune in tomorrow for more of the story!Read on for more trivia about the films ...
Valve unleashes Half-Life 2: Orange screenshots
Half-Life 2: Orange, as we now call it, has been forever delayed and will only show up much later this year. But what are eager Half Life fanboys supposed to do until that time comes ... wait? Yes, you will have to wait, but Valve understands your pain by offering some screenshot love. They just released a massive amount of screens from the Half-Life 2: Orange bundle including Portal and Team Fortress 2. All the games are looking pretty good, but Portal and Team Fortress 2 lack visual goodness that Half-Life 2 offers, which is probably intended. Check out the nifty gallery Joystiq put up and come back to post your thoughts on what is sure to be one great compilation.
What's inside the Half-Life 2 box
Soon, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 will be making its way onto the Xbox 360 and will be bundled with a bunch of other goodies. And those guys over at Valve found an easy way to identify the new compilations ... by color. The Xbox 360 (PC and PS3) will be getting what is known as the Half-Life 2: Orange bundle. Included is the original Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal. The orange package will set you back a reasonable $59.99. For our PC brethren they have one other option called Half-Life 2: Black. This bundle will include Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, Portal and will cost $39.99. The Black bundle is for those PC gamers that already purchased Half-Life 2 and Episode 1. Phew ... there you have it. But is anyone a little turned off by the whole color coding system?
Battlefield 2142 scans of PC Gamer cover story leaked
The Battlefield 2142 hoopla is starting to look more and more real as scans of the PC Gamer issue in question have surfaced online with BF 2142 featured as the magazine's May cover story. Digg contributor Iced_Eagle has pointed us to an 8.5MB archive of images from the mag, with 9 pages concerned with 2142 and 2 pages having to do with Half-Life 2: Episode 1. If you're interested in knowing "where your unstoppable 20-foot Mech is," then you'd best get to that reading online or off ASAP. For those still skeptical of any gaming news outlet coming out with such a story in the general vicinity of April Fools' Day, keep in mind that the game appears to not only be the magazine's cover story, but that its coverage also fills up all those pages of print mentioned earlier. EGM merely dedicated a single page with a brief line in the table of contents to its Apple iGame prank this year, so this would seem like a lot of effort on PC Gamer or some extremely dedicated Photoshopper's part to fool the gaming public. Will this fall prove to be the point when the BF franchise finally frags in the future? At this point, it would certainly seem so. Read on for further details about the game; the cover pic links to the scans.
