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Ka-pow the 3 Arkhams for $10
Bundle Stars has a zlonking deal going on: $10 for three Arkham games on Windows PC. That's the extras-stuffed Game of the Year editions of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, while Batman: Arkham Origins comes with the season pass and the Black Mask and Online Supply Drop DLC. In other words, it's as tight with value as Adam West's Batsuit. (Sorry, Blackgate fans, it's not included)
Sound Shapes, Muramasa, and more get PSN Ultimate Editions
If you're looking to catch up on some of the PlayStation Network's best releases to date, a gaggle of new digital Ultimate Editions have launched this week, offering DLC-bundled versions of Sound Shapes, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Batman: Arkham Origins. Other newly-collected Ultimate Editions include Dead Island: Riptide, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Toukiden: Age of Demons. Sony is also hosting a sale this week on many previously-released Ultimate Editions, including Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Saints Row 4, and Resident Evil 6. PlayStation Plus members get an additional discount on top of listed price drops. Sale prices remain in effect through October 20. [Image: Sony]
Batman: Arkham Origins 'Complete Edition' listed by Amazon Germany
You don't have to be the "World's Greatest Detective" to follow this trail: Amazon Germany has posted a listing for Batman: Arkham Origins "Complete Edition," a package which will supposedly combine Arkham Origins and all of its DLC into one box. The move, if accurate, isn't exactly unexpected; both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City received similar treatments when they re-released as Game of the Year editions. The Complete Edition - which has not been officially announced by Warner Bros. - is listed as coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 21. [Image: Amazon/Warner Bros.]
Amazon discounts over 1,000 digital PC games
Amazon kicked off its Digital Games Mayhem sale, discounting over 1,000 downloadable PC games. Okay, we didn't count to make sure the retailer had that many games on sale; we were too busy adding the Rockstar Ultimate Collection to our online carts. The bundle features 12 games from the developer at 85 percent off ($25.49), including L.A. Noire, GTA 4 and GTA Vice City. The sale also knocks 75 percent off the Metro Franchise Pack ($12.49), Saints Row Franchise Pack ($18.75) and Batman Mega Bundle ($22.50), the latter of which includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Origins in addition to Origins' season pass. As for individual games, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn is 40 percent off ($14.99), Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut is 55 percent off ($11), NBA 2K14 can be downloaded at 68 percent off ($9.59) and Civilization 5 is 46 percent off ($16.24). All deals in the Digital Games Mayhem sale are good until May 31. [Image: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment]
Batman: Arkham Origins DLC explores Mr. Freeze's origins
Curious how a supervillain settles on a life of ice-themed larceny, instead of say, crime devoted to penguins or calendars? Today's Cold, Cold Heart DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins offers answers to that bizarre query. Cold, Cold Heart focuses on Mr. Freeze, as he first encounters The Dark Knight. To counter his foe's obsession with all things chilly, Batman picks up a few new toys for this adventure. The Extreme Environment suit wraps Batman in a thick insulating layer as well as what appears to be ice-melting toaster coils, while the Thermocharged Batarangs and Thermal Gloves lend necessary heat to Batman's ranged attacks and fisticuffs, respectively. Cold, Cold Heart is available from the PlayStation Network Store, Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam for $10. Those who purchased the Batman: Arkham Origins season pass will be able to download the new content at no additional charge. [Image: Warner Bros.]
Batman animated film based on Arkham series gets suicidal trailer
The DC Animated film based on the Batman: Arkham series of video games, which we initially reported on back in February, has been given its first trailer. The film will feature appearances from several Arkham series mainstays such as Joker and Harley Quinn, as well as the first Arkham universe appearance of the Suicide Squad, a supergroup of villains who team up for the greater bad. If you know nothing of the Suicide Squad, here's all you need to know: one of the villains in the film calls himself Captain Boomerang. Say no more, we're onboard. While the Suicide Squad was teased and hinted at during both Arkham Origins and Arkham Origins Blackgate, it looks like this will be the first time we see the group as a cohesive whole in the Arkham universe. Kevin Conroy will reprise his role as Batman, while Troy Baker will once again voice Joker. The film is not yet rated, nor does it have a release date. [Image: DC Animated]
PSN Tuesday: Thief, Pac-Man Museum, Lords of Shadow 2
The PlayStation Store updated today with new games across every platform, led by the launches of Thief and Basement Crawl on PS4. Thief joins another new release in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on PS3 this week. PS3 owners can pick up The Batman Bundle, which includes Batman: Arkham Origins and the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns animated film as well as the Tales of Symphonia Chronicles bundle that comprises both Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Rounding out this week's PS3 additions is Magus and Pac-Man Museum, the latter being a $20 pack of games spanning the yellow gobbler's series. Vita owners only get one new game this week: Mahjong 2 World Contest, as well as PSOne Classic Herc's Adventures, also available on PS3 and PSP. Though Vita owners can now download the Crackle app to watch movies and TV shows, the marquee media streaming addition this week is the WWE Network app on PS3 and PS4. [Image: Square Enix]
Arkham Origins 'Cold, Cold Heart' DLC stars Mr. Freeze on April 22
Cold, Cold Heart is an open-world, narrative-driven chunk of DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins, and it's due out on April 22 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Cold, Cold Heart tells the backstory of classic Batman villain Mr. Freeze in a brand new mission, and it gives Batman himself a new suit "that will actually change gameplay and help you be more resilient" against cryogenic weapons, according to WB Games VP of Production Ames Kirshen. WB prioritized work on this DLC over fixing bugs, Community Manager "Mercury" said on the Arkham Origins support page earlier this month, and the studio canceled the Wii U version of Cold, Cold Heart in January, citing lack of demand. Since it was part of the Arkham Origins season pass, Nintendo of America offered full refunds to anyone who bought that bundle, even though some pieces of DLC had already launched. And to those who had already guessed that Cold, Cold Heart would feature Mr. Freeze: The Penguin's heart is probably pretty chilly, too. It totally could have gone either way. [Image: WB Games]
Batman: Arkham Origins team prioritizing DLC over bug fixes
The Batman: Arkham Origins support page is full of frustrated players after community manager "Mercury" wrote that the Origins development team would be focused on completing story DLC instead of fixing the game's numerous, game-breaking bugs. "The team is currently working hard on the upcoming story DLC and there currently are no plans for releasing another patch to address the issues that have been reported on the forums," Mercury wrote. "If we do move forward with creating a new patch, it will try to address the progression blocking bugs for players, not the minor glitches that do not prevent one from continuing to play. The issues that are not progression blockers will unfortunately no longer be addressed." Unfortunately, it's not the first bad news for bat-fans: those who purchased Arkham Origins on Wii U recently had the story DLC for the game canceled.
DC Animated to tap Batman: Arkham franchise for 2014 film
Warner Bros. Entertainment will be adapting the Batman: Arkham series of games into an animated film for release sometime later this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Details, much like Riddler trophies and Chronicles of Arkham, are rare, scattered and a bit confusing. For example, we know the name - Batman: Assault on Arkham - and what the adaptation isn't. According to Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is remodeling its DC Animated Movies line so that they share a single continuity - think of how Marvel Studios built up to The Avengers and you've got an idea of how this will work. WB plans to release two movies per year that will fall into this new continuity, as well as a third film that does not tie into the DC Animated Movies continuity. Batman: Assault on Arkham is slated as that third film for 2014. Jay Olivia, director of Justice League: War is set to direct. According to the film's IMDB page, Mark Hamill will not reprise his role as Joker, though Kevin Conroy will once again take up the cowl as Batman. [Image: Warner Bros.]
Batman: Arkham Origins story campaign DLC canceled on Wii U
Wii U owners won't be getting the upcoming Arkham Origins story campaign DLC, after Warner Bros. made the decision to cancel it due to a lack of demand. WB confirmed the news in a statement given to VG247, after GoNintendo published a supposed Nintendo of America email spilling the bat-beans. The Nintendo system and the latest Batman haven't been a dynamic duo, starting with WB not bringing multiplayer to the Wii U version for similarly quantitative reasons. WB's belated call to not give the Wii U further single-player content is curious, especially since there's other DLC from the game on the eShop, such as skins and challenge packs. The one ray of good in today's news is that, going by the email published by GoNintendo, Nintendo of America is issuing a full refund to those who bought the season pass, despite some of the DLC it covers already being out. Whether that decision is WB's or Nintendo's, it is at least the right one.
GameStop weekend sale drops Batman: AO, Assassin's Creed 4 prices
Still catching up on last year's releases? GameStop's looking to help you out with a handful of weekend-long price drops on Batman: Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and other standout games released at the tail end of 2013. Starting today and ending Sunday, shoppers can pick up the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC versions of Assassin's Creed 4 for $29.99 each. Batman: Arkham Origins gets a little cheaper at $49.99 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 ports, while the Wii U version drops to $39.99. The 3DS and PS Vita-exclusive spinoff Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate is up for grabs at $29.99. Other sale highlights include Just Dance 2014 ($29.99), the DLC-bundled Injustice: Gods Among Us - Ultimate Edition ($49.99), and the 3DS and Vita versions of Lego Marvel Superheroes ($29.99).
2014 Writers Guild Awards video game nominees announced
The Writers Guild of America announced the nominees for the 2014 Writers Guild Awards Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing today. The writing teams for five games were nominated for the annual award, as follows: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Batman: Arkham Origins God of War: Ascension The Last of Us Lost Planet 3 Only games that launched between December 1, 2012 and November 30, 2013 were eligible for nomination. The 2014 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 in both Los Angeles and New York simultaneously. Past winners of the Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing award were the writers of the following games, who were also part of the guild in order to be considered: Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation (2013), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2012), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2011), Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2010) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2009).
Batman: Arkham City's Clayface figure shows his ugly mug
A custom Clayface figurine, modeled after the character's portrayal in Batman: Arkham City, has been announced by DC Collectibles. There is no word on pricing or release date as of yet. Clayface is 13 inches tall, making him the biggest figure in the line that pulls from the cast of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. That line includes a 7-inch Batman and other notable characters like The Penguin, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze and Solomon Grundy. Head past the break for a side-by-side look at the Clayface figure next to the Batman. The latest game in the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Origins, launched in late October. Origins, which serves as a prequel to the first two games developed by Rocksteady, was created by WB Games Montreal.
Xbox Live sale discounts Batman, Assassin's Creed season passes
Today's daily deal in Microsoft's end-of-the-year Xbox sale features discounts on season passes for five games. Each respective season pass offers players bonus content in the form of character skins, challenge stages and other DLC. The season passes on sale are: Batman: Arkham Origins at 30 percent off ($13.99), Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag at 25 percent off ($14.99), half-off for both Metro: Last Light ($7.49) and Injustice: Gods Among Us ($7.49) as well as Saints Row 4 for 30 percent off ($6.99). The season passes join a number of other sales that end tomorrow, such as Killer is Dead and Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate for $13.20 each and Grand Theft Auto 5 for $40.20.
Steam kicks off holiday sale with BioShock, Batman, more
It's that time of year again, boys and girls. No, not time to express your love for the people who raised you, but instead, it's time for Steam's holiday sale. This year's sale runs from December 19 to January 3 and as in previous iterations, it offers a wide swath of discounts. First, there are the daily discounts, which collect a handful of games and slash their prices. At the moment, you could pick up BioShock Infinite for $10 or Batman: Arkham Origins for $25. Then there are the Flash sales, which usually offer larger discounts than the daily discounts, though they only appear for eight hours. Right now you could pick up Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for $3.74, but eight hours from now you'll be out of luck. Not just a sale, Steam's holiday celebration is also a community event. Every eight hours three games will be offered up for the community to vote on. Whichever receives the most votes gets a deep, public discount. Voting also entitles you to one free Snow Globe card with which can unlock rare items in Steam games such as Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2. Or you could simply horde your cards until you have enough to craft the Snow Globe 2013 badge. This won't help you in-game, but it's a nice reminder of how you spent this year's holiday season.
Batman: Arkham Origins unleashes 'Hunter, Hunted' multiplayer mode
Warner Bros. has released an update for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of Batman: Arkham Origins adding the new competitive "Hunter, Hunted" mode to the game's online multiplayer component. "Hunter, Hunted" is a 3v3v1 mode that throws three Bane thugs, three Joker henchmen, and one very pissed-off Batman into the same map for a chaotic team-based battle to the death. There are no respawns in this mode, making thugs especially fragile and keeping the stakes high throughout. "Hunter, Hunted" is available as part of a free update, and follows up on the recent launch of Arkham Origins' Initiation DLC. The game's upcoming "Narrative DLC" pack will complete Arkham Origins' planned Season Pass content next year.
Batman: Arkham Origins initiates Bruce Wayne DLC
The "Initiation Challenge Map Add-On" for Batman: Arkham Origins will be available tomorrow, December 3, on your digital distribution method of choice for $6.99. The pack includes four challenge maps and two skins (Initiation Bruce Wayne and Vigilante Bruce Wayne). The pack is included for those who picked up the game's season pass.
Console bundles, Battlefield 4 highlight GameStop's Black Friday preview
GameStop isn't quite ready to reveal its full swath of Black Friday deals, but the company has offered a preview including discounted consoles, cheap recent hits, and a sale on all used games. On Black Friday, if you walk into a GameStop (and aren't crushed by an unruly mob), you'll find a 250GB Xbox 360 with Halo 4 and Tomb Raider priced at $200. Sharing that price tag is a PlayStation 3 bundle which includes a 250GB console as well as copies of Batman: Arkham Origins and The Last of Us. If you already have one of these consoles, GameStop is also offering big discounts on two recent games: Just Dance 4 will be available for $15, while Battlefield 4 will feature a $25 price tag. If you'd prefer something a bit more dated, however, GameStop is also planning a "buy two, get one free" deal on all used games in the store. The discounts listed above are only the highlights of GameStop's Black Friday deals. The retailer has yet to publicly release its ad, though the store does offer a site where interested consumers can sign up to receive the ad just as soon as it's ready to debut. While GameStop will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, the store will reopen on 12:01AM, Black Friday. Most likely this means that you'll need to visit your local store as early as possible to ensure savings, but those who'd rather sleep in can instead sign up to be notified when GameStop issues its forthcoming Cyber Monday ad.
Gaming deals: $200 Batman, The Last of Us PS3 bundle, Xbox One games, Battlefield 4 for PS4 $50
Black Friday is making our wallets cower as it looms in the distance, but why wait until then to start your financial downfall? Kmart is currently offering a 250GB PS3 with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins for $200. If you've already jumped into the current console generation, Amazon is selling select Xbox One games for $50, including Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and ... Angry Birds: Star Wars. If you'd prefer to play on the PS4 and are generally optimistic, you can also buy Battlefield 4 for PS4 for $50 and hope that its issues are resolved before it reaches your doorstep. Since we're talking deals, Steam users can pick up Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and Rage for $4.99 each this weekend, the latter of which can be played for free until 4pm Eastern Time. The ARMA series and most of its DLC can also be had for 80 percent off, meaning you can pick up Steam's ARMA selection for $18.98. Update: Amazon is also offering select games from the PS4 launch lineup for $50 apiece, including Knack, Need for Speed: Rivals, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Madden NFL 25 and FIFA 14. [Thanks, Jack!]
