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Costume Quest 2 treats players to Oct. 7 launch on Steam
Costume Quest 2 launches on October 7 on Steam, with pre-orders live now and ripe for the picking – or tricking or treating. Pre-order the game across Mac, Linux and PC in two ways: Costume Quest 2 plus four classic costumes for $15, or pay $20 for the "Pre-Purchase Costume Quest 2 Bundle," which includes Costume Quest 2, Costume Quest, the Grubbins on Ice DLC and those four classic costumes. The four included costumes are the Robot, Unicorn, Eyeball and Pumpkin. Each costume comes with its signature ability, Double Fine says: "Mow through Kronys with the Robot's 'Missile Barage' or bring back KO'd friends with the Unicorn's 'My Pretty Panacea.' Pumpkin can devastate groups with an 'All Hallows Eve' wind attack, while the Eyeball unleashes tears of fury via the 'EYE-agra Falls' ability." This holiday season, Costume Quest 2 allows everyone to partake in the most sacred of all tasks: Saving Halloween. It's due out on PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac and Linux, published by Midnight City and developed by Double Fine.
Pre-order Destiny on Xbox One, pre-load it before launch
Building on a trend set by the recent launch of Madden NFL 15, those who pre-order the Xbox One version of Bungie's open-universe shooter Destiny will be able to download the game's data prior to its September 9 debut. Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled its digital Xbox Live Marketplace listing for Destiny, which offers prospective players a choice of two versions of the game for pre-order: the relatively spartan $60 "Destiny Pre-Order Edition" which features the game and Vanguard Armory access, or the $90 "Destiny Digital Guardian Edition" which includes the game, a reservation for two upcoming expansions and a host of other bonus items. Regardless of which version you choose, your pre-order will allow you to download Destiny to your Xbox One console at some nebulous point before the game's official release date. You won't be able to play it early, but you'll have everything ready to go the moment the game's servers open to the public. [Image: Activision]
Glameow it up with Pokemon Alpha & Omega steelbooks in EU
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby are getting their own steelbook bundles in Europe, complete with Kyogre and Groudon figurines respectively. Bundles including the game are coming to GAME and Nintendo's online store in the UK, and will be available for pre-order. The House of Mario Marowak lists the steelbook and figurine separately at £40; we've reached out to confirm if that also includes the game at that price. The Poke-remakes are also scoring some other pre-order goodies in the UK. Pre-orders of the standalone version at GAME get the respective figure chucked in, while early birds at Shopto will get their own early bird, namely a 2D keyring of Torchic. As for the small matter of the game itself, it hits 3DS in North America on November 21, then a week across the pond on November 28. [Image: Nintendo]
Madden NFL 15 kicks off Xbox One digital pre-loading feature
EA's Madden NFL 15 is the first Xbox One game to offer digital pre-loading options for early buyers in advance of its launch, Game Informer reports. Starting this week, players who purchase Madden NFL 15 via the Xbox One's dashboard or Xbox.com will have the game downloaded and primed for play as soon as it premieres on August 26. Microsoft announced at Gamescom last week that Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15 will also feature digital pre-loading, and Sony will offer similar options for future PlayStation 4 releases. EA Access subscribers can spend up to six hours with the full version of Madden NFL 15 before its public launch next week. [Image: EA Sports]
Amazon: Wii U game pre-orders up following Gamescom
With all the news that surfaced last week during Gamescom, it makes sense that video game pre-orders would increase at retailers like Amazon. As it turns out, the biggest winner coming away from the show is Nintendo, as Wii U games saw the biggest boost in pre-orders on Amazon (8.67 percent). By comparison, pre-orders for PS4 games rose 5.16 percent and Xbox One games increased 2.81 percent. The largest increase for a single game was 42.3 percent for Slightly Mad Studios' Project Cars. Bandai Namco announced a limited edition version of the game last week, which likely spurred new pre-orders. Rounding out the top five are Rise of the Tomb Raider (30.25 percent), Bloodborne (16.08 percent), Hyrule Warriors (11.77 percent) and Quantum Break (10.77 percent). You'll find the full list of the top ten games whose pre-orders increased on Amazon after the break, courtesy of MCV.
PES 2015's pre-order bonuses build your team of the year
Those that pre-order Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 in the UK will receive some bonus goodies, Konami revealed. The pre-order exclusives are for the game's new My Club mode, which stands as an overhauled version of the series' Master League management mode. My Club brings microtransactions to the soccer sim as well, which is where the pre-order bonuses come in. The exclusive pre-order content was "built around the UEFA Team Of The Year," Konami told Joystiq in an email. The bonuses include "10,000 Game Points, 10 Recovery Items to assist the fitness of the squad, and one player picked at random from the team voted by over 5 million people on UEFA.com." Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is the first in the series for PS4 and Xbox One, and will launch on November 13. A demo of the game will be available on September 17 for each of its platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. [Image: Konami]
Best Buy, Amazon offer Hyrule Warriors pre-order costumes
GameStop won't be the only retailer with special costumes for Link and friends when Hyrule Warriors battles for control of your Wii U on September 26. Best Buy and Amazon have also opened some special chests and ... Dun-dun-dun-DUN! ... have pulled out some exclusive costumes as well. Fans of the latest Legend of Zelda game should head over to Best Buy, where you'll get Skyward Sword-themed costumes for Link and Zelda when you pre-order the game. Those who prefer their Hero of Time to be a bit darker should opt for Amazon, which has Twilight Princess-themed costumes for the tunic-wearing swordsman and Hyrule's most-kidnappable princess. And don't forget, no matter where you pick up the game, if you're a Club Nintendo member who registers your copy before October 23, you'll receive two costumes for Zelda baddie, Ganondorf. [Image: Nintendo/Tecmo Koei]
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor PS4 pre-orders earn exclusive missions
PlayStation 4 owners will be delighted to learn that a pre-order of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor includes exclusive quests dubbed "PlayStation Legion Missions." Though it's unknown how many PlayStation Legion Missions are included with the pre-order, Monolith Productions community manager Andy Salisbury offers more information on what Tolkienian beasts you'll be stalking. "In these exclusive missions, you'll go head-to-head with the deadly Blood Hunters, and the fearsome Flesh Burners, two of the most savage Warbands in all of Mordor (and two groups of hunters determined to personally bring your head to Sauron)," Salisbury wrote in a recent PlayStation.blog entry. According to Salisbury, the Blood Hunters are a pack of assassins sent to kill protagonist Talion. Kill them and you'll walk away with the Stinging Blade Rune. The Flesh Burners, by contrast, are a group of "elite archers" who employ crossbows loaded with burning bolts. Snip their bowstrings with extreme prejudice and you'll earn the Black Arrow Rune. All of these PlayStation exclusives are in addition to the base pre-order bonuses which include the "Test of Power" challenge mode and an additional, darker skin for Talion. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor launches on September 30. [Image: WBIE]
Pre-orders, pre-downloads for 'select' titles coming to Xbox One
The aggravating wait to play digital copies of high-profile games as soon as they launch is about to become a little easier on Xbox One: during Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 presentation, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced the incoming option to pre-order and pre-download games from a "select" range of titles, which will include Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15.
The Daily Grind: Do you (still) pre-order MMOs?
As we reported yesterday, Activision says that pre-orders are declining across the game industry. Here in MMOland, pre-orders are still kind of a thing, but they're also being supplemented/supplanted by early access sales. What about you, personally, though? Do you (still) pre-order MMOs, whether for the in-game goodies or just out of general excitement? Why or why not? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Albion Online founder's packs available for purchase
Let's cut to the chase: You want to know how much it'll cost you to get into Albion Online alpha program in September? Fifty bucks. Thirty dollars if you're willing to wait for next year's beta. Now that your curiosity is sated, let's talk about the trio of founder's packs that Albion Online has just made available to buy. The least expensive tier is the veteran pack at $29.95, which comes with beta access in Q1 2015, in-game currency, and 30 days of premium access. The epic and legendary packs are $49.95 and $99.95 respectively, and include (among other goodies) access to the summer and winter alpha program, special nametags, cosmetic outfits, and even (in the case of the lgendary pack) mounts. Various questions about the founder's packs have been answered on a separate FAQ page. [Thanks to Laurence for the tip!]
Activision sees industry-wide pre-order decline
Activision publishing boss Eric Hirshberg says his company's pre-orders are declining. He made the remarks to investors and media on a conference call yesterday, and he also said that the downturn is an industry-wide trend. Hirshberg cited digital consumption upticks as well as wide launch-day availability as factors in the declining popularity of pre-orders. He also said that pre-orders are "just one data point that we look at when determining the momentum of a franchise," and that awareness and "purchase intent" on Activision's Destiny is "at an all-time high and climbing when compared to any other new game intellectual property this distance from launch."
WWE 2K15 collector's edition has 24-inch pythons, brother
The special collector's edition of WWE 2K15 costs $100 and is exclusive to the game's PS4 and Xbox One versions, 2K Sports announced today. In addition to a copy of the latest wrestling game from Yuke's and Visual Concepts, the Hulkamania Edition features pre-order-exclusive Hulk Hogan and Hollywood Hulk Hogan playable characters for the game plus the two bonus versions of WCW star Sting, another pre-order extra for WWE 2K15. WWE 2K15's Hulkamania Edition also features tangible goodies only found in the collector's box (and on eBay shortly after launch for what will surely be ludicrous prices). Hulkamaniacs will receive a collectible art card personally signed by the Hulkster himself as well as a piece of the ring canvas Hogan strutted on in his Monday Night Raw appearance on March 10, 2014 in Memphis, Tennessee. Lastly, the special edition will include a vinyl figure of Hogan's "Hollywood" gimmick made by Funko.
Far Cry 4, Assassin's Creed: Unity pre-orders live on Steam
Ubisoft has made it a bit easier for fans to fork over their money by opening Steam pre-orders for two of the publisher's biggest upcoming releases, Far Cry 4 and Assassin's Creed: Unity. Players will be rewarded for pre-ordering either game with a host of bonus content. A Far Cry 4 pre-order awards players three extra missions starring the lovably combustible Hurk of Far Cry 3 and an exclusive weapon. Those who pre-order Assassin's Creed: Unity will pick up a new mission (dubbed "The Chemical Revolution"), as well as special in-game pants, shirt and rapier. Both Assassin's Creed: Unity and Far Cry 4 can be pre-ordered from Steam for $60, though especially devoted fans can instead opt to pre-order the Gold edition of either game for $90 which includes a DLC Season Pass. Assassin's Creed: Unity is currently slated to launch on October 28, while Far Cry 4 debuts on November 18. [Image: Ubisoft]
LittleBigPlanet 3 launching November 18, pre-orders net costumes and plushies
Sony announced that its DIY platformer sequel LittleBigPlanet 3 has a bundle of free goodies in store for pre-order buyers ahead of its November launch, including exclusive Sackboy plush dolls and a variety of retailer-specific in-game content. Plunk down some pre-release cash for a physical copy of LittleBigPlanet 3 at participating retailers and you'll get a handsome Sackboy plush, free of charge. Target customers get the same plush with a Sackboy-sized Target hat as a bonus. All PS4 pre-order customers, regardless of their preferred retailer, will additionally receive a batch of in-game costumes inspired by EA's upcoming Dragon Age Inquisition. The PlayStation 4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 also boasts unique pre-order costumes available only at select retailers. Players who purchase a copy from GameStop will receive the Mythical Creatures Costume Pack, Best Buy customers get the Hidden Creatures Costume Pack, and Amazon buyers receive the franchise-spanning PlayStation Favorites Costume Pack (shown above). LittleBigPlanet 3 will make its PlayStation 4 debut on November 18. A recently announced PlayStation 3 version will ship the same day. [Image: Sony]
Pre-order Lords of the Fallen for bonus weapons, story DLC
Square Enix announced a "Day One Edition" for Lords of the Fallen, the third-person action RPG developed by Deck 13 Interactive and CI Games. The limited edition version grants pre-order buyers exclusive story DLC as well as extra weapons and the game's official soundtrack. Those pre-ordering the game through GameStop will receive a free upgrade to the Day One Edition while supplies last. While there's no clear indication that the special edition of the game is limited to GameStop customers, the game's official pre-order page sure makes it seem that way at the moment. The Lords of the Fallen limited edition includes the Monk's Decipher DLC and Demonic Weapons Pack. The latter features three items: The Margyr daggers, a Thehk hammer and the Ihir sword. The game was first shown off at Gamescom 2013 this past August and is scheduled to arrive on October 28 for PS4, Xbox One and PC courtesy of Bandai Namco. It can't seem to escape comparisons to From Software's Dark Souls series; at least that was a main takeaway from our time with the game at E3. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Analyst predicts that Destiny will sell between 15M and 20M units
I think we all know that Destiny is going to be a very big launch when it happens this September, but one analyst has put a number to that feeling: 15 to 20 million copies sold. Cowen & Company Analyst Doug Creutz has been tracking the progress of Destiny, saying that it has topped the company's rating chart: "We continue to believe that Destiny is a lock to sell at least 15 million copies. And we now view 20 million copies as increasingly likely." Creutz said that Destiny will help to sell PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles and predicted that the game will be purchased alongside with many of them. He also noted that Destiny may cannibalize sales from the Call of Duty franchise.
Stick a pin in your Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix pre-order
Customers who pre-order Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix will automatically be upgraded to the Limited Edition, Square Enix announced today via the PlayStation Blog. Along with updated versions of Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts: Re: Coded, those who score a copy of the Limited Edition will also receive a nifty pin featuring Sora and Mickey. Now, a pin may not seem like a big fuss, but this is an official, collectible Disney pin - and thus, it is part of the pin trading tradition that officially kicked off in 1999. Disney pin trading is serious business to those with a passion for it, as some pins have reached prices upward of $1,000 on the secondhand market. So you take care of that pin, young man/lady! It just might be worth something someday. [Image: Square Enix]
GameStop offering 50% off The Last of Us Remastered with PS3 copy trade-in
Starting next week, GameStop shoppers can get a steep discount on The Last of Us Remastered for the PlayStation 4 by trading in a copy of the 2013 PS3 edition alongside a pre-order or purchase. Between July 27 and August 2, customers who trade in a PS3 copy of The Last of Us at GameStop will get 50 percent off of The Last of Us Remastered, dropping it to $25 at launch. The Last of Us Remastered includes all content from last year's PS3 version, upgrading the core campaign with a 1080p presentation and bundling a collection of post-release DLC, including the "Left Behind" expansion. The Last of Us Remastered launches on July 29. [Image: Sony / GameStop]
Pre-order Destiny, earn a trip to the Vanguard Armory
Those who purchase Bungie's open-universe shooter Destiny prior to its September 9 debut will be granted in-game access to the Vanguard Armory where they'll find new weaponry, gear and an "exclusive player emblem." [Image: Activision]
