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Injustice: Gods Among Us welcomes Martian Manhunter next week
He's Martian, he hunts men, and he's coming to Injustice: Gods Among Us next week. The game's fifth DLC character has a date with PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, July 30, so says the game's official Facebook page. Martian Manhunter, AKA the equally brilliant moniker of J'onn J'onzz, was revealed as the first of the non-season-pass characters at EVO 2013 earlier this month. There's no news on a price - the preceding four newbies were priced $5/400 MSP - or when Wii U players can expect their portion of Martian.
Free Assassin's Creed 2, other bargains on XBL today
Assassin's Creed 2 is free now to Xbox Live Gold members as part of the Games with Gold program, and stays that way until the end of the month. But don't let the free-runner take all your attention, because there are other Xbox Live Marketplace deals up for grabs this week. First up, the 2011 edition of Mortal Kombat is slashed in half to $10 this week, which is as good as a fatality discount-wise. Some of its DLC is half-price, too, including the Season Pass, and XBLA entry Mortal Kombat Arcade. Meanwhile, Capcom has a publisher sale going on this week. We've spotted the very intense likes of Asura's Wrath, Devil May Cry 4, and Resident Evil 5 at $10, while fighters Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition are at $15, as is the Devil May Cry: HD Collection.
Injustice lands Martian Manhunter DLC, John Stewart Green Lantern skin
Martian Manhunter is the fifth DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us, after NetherRealm made the announcement fans had long been j'onzzing for. As revealed at this weekend's EVO 2013 event, the extra-super-terrestrial is the next DLC character to sign up following the season pass inclusions of Lobo, Batgirl, Scorpion, and General Zod. As for when he'll be touch down for the DC fighter, that's yet to be announced. Injustice director Ed Boon also confirmed the impending arrival of a John Stewart skin for the Green Lantern, which Shoryuken reports features a new voiceover.
Dishonored slashed to $20 on Xbox Live, DLC on sale too
If you missed out on Dishonored, one of our favorite games of 2012, Xbox Live Gold members can currently grab the Xbox version for $20. DLC has been discounted too, with "Knife of Dunwall" down to $5, "Dunwall City Trials" at $2.50 and "Void Walker's Arsenal" at $2. These deals run until July 15.
DarkStalkers Resurrection and Dark Souls for $10 on Xbox Live this week
The word of the week on Xbox Live is "dark," evidently, as both DarkStalkers Resurrection and the Games on Demand version of Dark Souls are heavily discounted until June 4. You can pick up either game for $10. The marketplace also has Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for $15, along with some discounted DLC for the tactical shooter. We realize that one doesn't have "dark" in the title, but it does have "ghost." Both DarkStalkers and Dark Souls have ghosts in them, so it makes sense, see? PSN is running a DarkStalkers Resurrection deal of its own as well. Pick up Resurrection for $15 and you'll get a free download of the excellent Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. PlayStation Plus members can get the same deal for only $10.49. This promotion also runs until June 4.
Metal Gear Rising, DMC plunge into Games on Demand
If you can spare the gigglebits on your Xbox 360, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and DMC: Devil May Cry are both available through Games on Demand on Xbox Live for $50 right now. Each will consume 7.34 GB and 6.57 GB, respectively. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is the slice-em-up starring series cyborg Raiden that Platinum Games took over full-time from Kojima Productions in 2011. DMC: Devil May Cry is Ninja Theory's reboot issued earlier this year, which re-imagines Capcom's world replete with a new Dante.
Coming soon to XBLM: Gunslinger, CastleStorm, D3Publisher deals
Major Nelson has posted the latest schedule for upcoming Xbox Live content. As previously announced, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger will be released this Wednesday. This week's Deal of the Week is a 50 percent off sale on lots of D3Publisher titles, including the new Karateka, the Puzzle Quest series, Pid and more. There's also an Alan Wake sale with games up to 83 percent off. Finally, Crysis 3 hits Games on Demand tomorrow. Next week, Hunters Trophy 2 – Australia hits Xbox Live Arcade and, although not mentioned by Major Nelson, CastleStorm will arrive as well. Next week's deals include discounts on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and its DLC, DarkStalkers Resurrection for $10. The Games on Demand version of Dark Souls will also be discounted, and it expansion, "Artorias of the Abyss" will be $7.50.
Wolfenstein 3D re-rated by ESRB, gets new page on XBLM [update: housekeeping]
There's something odd going on with Wolfenstein 3D on PSN and XBLM. First off, this week the ESRB re-rated the classic game on Xbox 360 and PS3, nearly four years after it arrived on the platforms digitally. Secondly, it's sprouted an additional page on XBLM. Playing Spot the Difference between the two pages, the new one lists the publisher as Bethesda rather than Activision. Developer id Software was acquired by Bethesda's parent company Zenimax in June 2009, just a few weeks after Wolfenstein 3D came to XBLM and PSN. Also, the release date is now listed as May 31 of this year, which is a bit odd. The box art is slightly different too, and once more notes Bethesda's name instead of Activision's. Overall, the whole thing's as curious as Adolf Hitler in a mech suit. The timing's certainly interesting given the recent reveal of Wolfenstein: The New Order. When approached on the matter, a company spokesperson told Joystiq, "No comment on that from Bethesda." Update: Bethesda VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines told Joystiq there's nothing to see here. "No changes. Was originally published through Activision, so now that it's reverted back to us we have to jump through ESRB (ratings go to the publisher, they don't "follow" the game to a new publisher) and console hoops (game has to be "re-certed" by the new publisher)," Hines said.
PSA: Monaco unlocks XBLA, out now
Monaco: What's Yours is Mine has finally scarpered onto the Xbox Live Marketplace. After failing to launch last month thanks to a bug that caused disconnects during online play, the top-down indie sneaker is nab-able right now at a cool 1200 MSP. Going by our review, at that price it's a steal (HA). Jess, a self-confessed crappy crook, gave Monaco four and a half stars, deeming it a "classic heist game for a modern audience."
PSA: Fuse demo sparks up XBLM, PSN today
The demo of Insomniac's Fuse, formerly Insomniac's Overstrike, melds with the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network today. It's already available on XBLM (all 1.45GB of it), while PSN gets it later today. The demo lets you play a portion of the four-player shooter's campaign either offline with AI partners, or online. If you go online you can play solo with the option to invite friends, or with friends able to join you at any time. You can also play co-op via matchmaking.
Doritos Crash Course 2 crunches into XBLA tomorrow for free
As free, corporate-sponsored games go, we enjoyed the 2D platforming approximation of Wipeout (the TV show) that was Doritos Crash Course. Also, it was, like most free, corporate-sponsored games, entirely free. This is rarely ever a bad thing. With all that in mind, it's cool to see a sequel coming to XBLA tomorrow, May 8. Yes, it's still free. As per the first game, you're traversing your Xbox Avatar from left to right and as quick as poss, but this time in four new worlds including an icy one and a pirate-y one. There's online and offline multiplayer for up to four runners, and you can compare your speed against friends via "asynchronous" clips. Remember, the game's free - no-one's forcing you to buy any chips to play it. At the very least that means free Achievements, which of course is the most important thing. %Gallery-187673%
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon sequel could happen, says Biehn
Creative Director Dean Evans is interested in a follow-up to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, at least according to Michael Biehn, the game's star voice talent. In an interview with Xbox's Major Nelson, Biehn said from his understanding Blood Dragon is exceeding Ubisoft's sales expectations by five times, and Evans is now considering a sequel to the retro spinoff. "Dean was with me on the phone last night, he called me last night," Biehn said on Major Nelson Radio. "He was pretty jacked up. He was going into a meeting today, to.. I think he wants to turn it into some sort of franchise. He's got a sequel in mind." We gushed about the "most excellent" Blood Dragon in our review, so seeing Sgt. Rex Colt return to a screen near us could be a great thing. Having said that, we do wonder if the comprehensively nostalgic game has anything left to add to the pastiche. In the meantime, we've reached out to Ubisoft for comment.
Poker Night at the Inventory 2 launch trailer shuffles the pack
A new Poker Night means a new group of familiar faces to read. GLaDOS is dealing in Sam, Ash, Claptrap, and Brock starting today on XBLA. The card game makes a split for Steam on April 26, and PSN on April 30.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon welcomes you to the retro party
If Far Cry 3's grim tale of survival was a poor fit for the game's exotic, often preposterous antics, there are no such fears for its seemingly disconnected spin-off. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is nothing short of ridiculous, and deliberately so. Ubisoft's standalone shooter celebrates the endearingly excessive sci-fi action of a bygone era in entertainment, when men wore cyber-armor over cyber-arms and when eyes glowed red.An animated introduction transports us to the post-apocalyptic near future... of 2007. Our new cyborg hero is sent to an island to take out a rogue terrorist group – full of evil cyborgs. The intro has music so pungent of Terminator 2 that I half expect it to tell me it'll be back, and the first 10 or so minutes are filled with references to sci-fi and action movies from in and around the 1980s. Blood Dragon pays homage to an era full of sci-fi missteps and overblown heroes exuding machismo.%Gallery-186125%
XBLM deals: I Am Alive, Black Knight Sword, Hell Yeah!
With all them next-gen doodads costing a pretty penny (albeit an unknown amount of pennies), we expect some of you are already on the scrimp. But you still need your gaming fix, so maybe you'll welcome this week's XBLA deals with open, rag-covered arms.Ironically, the two Bionic Commando Rearmed games leap off the list initially; the first going for 320 MSP, the second for 480 MSP. Then we see that Grasshopper/Digital Reality collaboration Black Knight Sword is slashed in half to 400 MSP, while the savings cut even deeper for Hell Yeah! - it's down to 480 MSP from 1200 MSP, the exact same discount for Ubisoft's urban survivor I Am Alive.There are also savings to be made on Gotham City Impostors, Warhammer 40K: Kill Team, Lara Croft: Guardian of Light, and stalwart of the XBLM deal circuit Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. Of course, if you haven't yet bought the excellent Retro Evolved 2, then we will be forced to slap you. We're sorry, but them's the rules.
Twisted Pixel Games Bundle spins onto XBLA for 800 MSP
Twisted Pixel's XBLA bundle is available for purchase as of this morning, and the price is not bad, not bad at all. At 800 MSP, the collection of 'Splosion Man, Ms. Splosion Man, The Maw, and Comic Jumper comes in at two ninths - or around 22 percent for non-fractionists - of the games' total cost when purchased separately.If you've been waiting to twist on the talented Texas studio's XBLA collection all this time - is The Maw really four years old now? - then we'd say today your luck is in.
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon breathes neon onto XBLA, PSN, PC on May 1
Ubisoft roared confirmation Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is an 80s-styled standalone shooter (you don't need FC3 to play it) headed for XBLA, PSN, and PC on May 1. The dragon's been out of the bag for a while, but today's announcement brings with it a new VHS-like trailer, along with news that PC pre-orders also get a copy of the game's bodacious soundtrack, as provided by Power Glove.From what we've seen of Blood Dragon, the only narrative tie to Far Cry 3 is the open-world island setting. Beyond that, the game is a humor-laden spinoff with a new protagonist, Sgt. Rex Power Colt, a cyborg commando played by The Terminator and Aliens star Michael Biehn. It's set in a near future recoiling from "Vietnam War 2" and a recent nuclear attack on North America - well, by near future we mean one for the 1980s... which is 2007.As the screens below show, Blood Dragon's look is far removed from the sunny skies and tropical greenery of Far Cry 3. However, players of Ubisoft's 2012 shooter will find the mechanics of this new game very familiar, both in terms of basic actions and the overall approach. You're capturing outposts once more, this time bases controlled by rogue cyborg military group Omega Force, and you're also hunting wildlife again, except now they're colossal reptiles called blood dragons whose bodies are literally lined with neon and who, just as literally, shoot lasers out of their eyes.There's no word on a price - although a new Steam listing has it marked for $14.99 - but if you're after further details, or just further confirmation this isn't some pharmaceuticals-induced illusion, then make sure you check out our hands-on impressions soon. %Gallery-185240%
Huge XBLM sale slashes prices on Counter-Strike, Marvel vs Capcom, Lara Croft, more
The Xbox Live Deal of the Week is dropping prices on lots of great games over the next two weeks. This week, games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dungeon Defenders, Prince of Persia Classic, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and more are all 50 to 60 percent off. Next week, the same discount will be applied to Bionic Commando Rearmed, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Hell Yeah and others. And, if you still don't have it for some reason, Geometry Wars 2 will be cut down to a measly $2.50.Head over to Major Nelson to see all the available games and prices.
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon listed on XBLM for May 1, stars Michael Biehn
Not only is Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon very real and very, very neon, it also could be here in just over three weeks. The 80s-inspired Far Cry 3 spin-off emerged on the Xbox Live Marketplace this weekend, where its release date is listed as May 1. The listing confirms Blood Dragon as a standalone shooter which won't require a copy of Far Cry 3, likely only to be single-player given its online features are restricted to "leaderboards."More important than that, or the confirmation of previously leaked screenshots (see the gallery below), is that Blood Dragon features the radness of Michael Biehn, he of Kyle Reese in Terminator and Corporal Hicks in Aliens fame. Biehn's starring role is just a part of the "80s VHS vision of the future" that is Blood Dragon, according to the XBLM listing.It reads in full: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is THE Kick-Ass Cyber Shooter taking place on a bizarre open-world island crawling with evil. Welcome to an 80's VHS vision of the future. The year is 2007 and you are Sargent Rex Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando who's fighting against a cyborg army gone rogue. Your mission: get the girl, kill the baddies, and save the world. Experience every cliché of a VHS era vision of a nuclear future, where cyborgs, blood dragons, mutants, and Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, Navy Seals) collide. Playing Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon doesn't require a copy of Far Cry 3.Quite how Blood Dragon ties in to Far Cry 3 beyond the island remains to be seen.We've reached out to Ubisoft for more info. While details are so far restricted to XBLA, Brazilian classification ratings point towards releases on PS3 and PC as well. %Gallery-184983%
Injustice: Gods Among Us Avatar costumes point to more characters
Now that the Injustice: Gods Among Us demo is live on PSN and Xbox Live, the game's associated Avatar goodies have also hit the Xbox Live Marketplace. Of the many offerings available (Wonder Woman/Superman/Batman logo shirts, etc), the costumes for Killer Frost and Ares seen above are by far the most interesting, since those characters haven't been announced for the game.Considering that every other available costume is for one of the game's many playable characters, we feel safe in assuming that Ares and Killer Frost haven't been thrown in for giggles. More likely, these two villains are either unlockable fighters, or future DLC. We've reached out to NetherRealm studios for more information and will update with anything we learn.[Thanks, Sugg3s710n!]
