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WWE Network app struts down console, mobile ramps today
The WWE Network app is now available on PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360. Announced in January, the subscription-based service gives viewers access to over a thousand hours of wrestling on-demand video content spanning the WWE's lengthy history, including archived WCW and ECW events. Subscribers also gain access to future WWE programming, including all 12 of the brand's monthly pay-per-view events such as SummerSlam and WrestleMania. In addition to the home consoles, the app also launched on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and Roku today. Those looking to spring for the $9.99 per month subscription to watch the Attitude Era all over again will need to commit to six months with the service at minimum. Xbox 360 owners are also required to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription to use the WWE Network app. Xbox One owners will gain access to the app this summer alongside other devices. The app was developed in partnership with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the professional baseball league's creator of the MLB.TV service and the upcoming return of the RBI Baseball series. [Image: WWE]
Final Xbox Live Ultimate Sale includes Saints Row 4, Limbo and Metro: Last Light
Today is the final day in Microsoft's Xbox Live sale on Xbox 360, and includes discounts on nine games. The following six discounted items are available through Games on Demand: Saints Row 4, Metro: Last Light, Tropico 4, Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon, Oblivion and Overlord 2. The other three games on sale through Xbox Live Arcade are Limbo, Puzzle Quest 2 and Rock of Ages. Head past the break for the full price breakdown of the discounted prices, which are good through the end of the day. Don't forget, 13 other games are on sale on the platform until tomorrow as well, including Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City and Mass Effect.
Year of Xbox Live Gold $20 off through Amazon
Prepare for Titanfall with $20 off Xbox Live Gold on Amazon. The 12-month membership card is currently $40. The rub? It's only available in, like, card form. A physical card. Like you're a rube. A rube! Remember that these cards do stack, so inputting two is two years' worth. Also, the Xbox Live family plan no longer exists, so if you've got multiple accounts to to tend to in the house, keeping an eye out for deals like this is the best in a bad situation. [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft invites Xbox One users to test the March update
The March update for Xbox One, which streamlines friends list and party chat functionality, will go into beta testing soon. Microsoft is inviting a select number of Xbox Live users by sending them registration tokens starting today, and will follow up with a download for the beta version of the update next week. Beta testers will be able to provide feedback through a private section of the Xbox forums and may choose to opt out of any future Xbox One update preview events. "We're counting on our fans to share their input as we're putting the final touches on the new features that we plan to deliver in early March," Xbox Live's Major Nelson wrote in the Xbox Wire announcement post. The Xbox One March update, which is due for wide release prior to the launch of Titanfall on March 11, aims to revert social functionality to a state similar to that of the Xbox 360. This update will give Xbox One users a more direct path to see which of their friends is online, rather than the current confusing system bogged down by unnecessary extra menus. Also, all Xbox One multiplayer games following this update will employ more standardized options to quickly enlist the aid of Xbox Live friends through game invites. [Image: Microsoft]
Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe hits PC, consoles April 1
Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate will receive a Deluxe Edition version on April 1, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment announced today. The Deluxe Edition will launch digitally on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC via Steam after Blackgate was previously only available on Vita and 3DS. The transition to consoles and PC isn't a total surprise: Blackgate was spotted on the Xbox Games Store earlier this month and on Steam in January. Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate Deluxe Edition will include "enhanced high-definition 2.5-D graphics" as well as a new map and hint system. Deluxe Edition owners will be able to unlock a Zero Year Batsuit skin in addition to all the outfits in the game. The game will cost $20 on the PSN, Xbox Live, Nintendo eShop and Steam digital platforms. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]
Another Xbox Live sale: Ryse, Persona 4 Arena and more for cheap
We think Microsoft may have an addiction. On top of the Ultimate discounts on offer this week, Microsoft has announced an entirely different crop of cheap games, available through February 24. Two sales at the same time? Madness! If you want to take advantage of Microsoft's lapse in judgment, you can grab Ryse: Son of Rome for $40. We may even see more of this in the future, as Microsoft toys around with discount digital pricing on Xbox One. Ridge Racer Unbounded is on sale for $5 and all of its DLC can be acquired for pennies on the dollar. Persona 4 Arena, Angry Birds: Star Wars and more on Xbox 360 are cheap too so, if you're interested, pop on over to Major Nelson's website for the full list of markdowns. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360
Are you ready to blow up tanks on your Xbox 360? Probably; there have been roughly two million games released for the console based almost entirely around blowing up tanks. But are you ready to do so in World of Tanks? Because the game has launched on the console worldwide, complete with special Founder's Packs. The packs contain tanks, currency, ammo, and crews, but will be available for purchase only until February 28th. Before you run downstairs to fire up your console, keep in mind that you won't be able to play the game for free; an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for continued play. All Xbox Live accounts do get a free trial of the game for seven days, however, so you can decide if it's worth subscribing to the service. You can also take a look at the gallery below to get a glance at what the game will look like on the TV. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
NBA 2K14, Fable 2 featured in this week's Xbox Live sale
NBA 2K14 and Fable 2 star in this week's lineup of Xbox Live store deals, as both games and their related DLC see discounts of up to 50 percent through next Monday. Xbox Live Gold members can pick up the Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of NBA 2K14 for $40.19 this week, while stat-boosting jewelry DLC and the game's Spanish commentary pack are half-off. Fable 2's sale prices are open to all Xbox Live members, offering up the full Games on Demand download for $9.99 and expansion DLC at a 50 percent discount. [Image: 2K]
Far Cry Classic landing on US shores next week
Far Cry Classic will launch on February 11 in North America, Ubisoft announced. The HD revamp of the Crytek-developed original will be available on Xbox Live and PSN for $10 one day before it lands on Xbox 360 and PS3 in Europe. Far Cry first launched on PC in May 2004, and had players assuming the role of Jack Carver, a captain being pursued by a team of "highly trained mercenaries." The open world FPS was set on a South Pacific archipelago with a variety of environments ranging from rain forests to canyons. Ubisoft says Far Cry Classic will include "revamped cut scenes" as well as a new user interface. [Image: Ubisoft]
Makeshift fix for The Wolf Among Us 360 season pass issue
Yesterday, we brought you word of an issue which left Xbox 360 players who purchased the season pass for Telltale's The Wolf Among Us unable to download the game's second episode. Today, Microsoft offers a solution. "All The Wolf Among Us season pass owners will be sent Xbox 360 console system message codes that will allow them to download Episode 2 for no additional charge," reads a message recently added to Telltale's support page. "If you intended to buy a season pass for The Wolf Among Us, but haven't yet, you can continue to do so. New season pass purchasers will also receive codes by console system message while the title update is in progress." Following this, the site offers players a detailed walkthrough on how to use their new codes. Though this doesn't solve the ongoing issues Xbox Live is experiencing with certain downloadable content offerings, it does allow users to enjoy the game they've already paid for in a timely manner. Microsoft and Telltale are currently working together on a title update that will prevent such problems from happening in the future, but a timeframe for when that fix might debut remains unknown. [Image: Telltale Games] [Thanks, James!]
Xbox One party and multiplayer update before Titanfall in March
The incoherent party and friend systems on the Xbox One aren't ready for Titanfall - not even in Microsoft's opinion. A system update scheduled for March 4 will introduce "many new features and improvements, most significantly to our party and multiplayer systems," Microsoft has announced. Microsoft has not divulged details yet, but says a new party and multiplayer system will be in place prior to Titanfall's arrival on March 11, 2014. The futuristic multiplayer shooter, which sees combatants run across walls and jostle around in muscular mechs, is viewed as one of the Xbox One's flagship games, though it is also being developed for PC by Respawn Entertainment, and for Xbox 360 by Bluepoint Games. If all goes according to plan, we'll be inviting you to our party with just a few effortless presses on that snazzy Titanfall controller. [Image: EA]
World of Tanks to blast Xbox 360 on February 12
The Xbox 360 version of World of Tanks will launch February 12, Wargaming announced. The game will retain its free-to-play-with-premium-purchases structure, but will require an Xbox Live Gold membership. Those with a free Xbox Live account will have access to a trial version of the game for seven days. The tactical, team-based online war game will include over 100 tanks from the Unites States, Germany and United Kingdom. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition entered beta in August 2013. The game first launched on PC in North America in April 2011 following its 2010 release in Russia. [Image: Wargaming.net]
Get one year of Xbox Live Gold for $40 at Amazon, Best Buy
If you're in the market for a year of Xbox Live Gold, Best Buy and Amazon are selling subscription cards on the cheap. You can get a year for $40 – $20 off the usual asking price. Purchasing through Amazon will net a code that you can immediately plug into your Xbox 360 or Xbox One, while going the Best Buy route means you'll have to wait for a physical card to be mailed off. Or you could simply walk into your local Best Buy and pick one up, granted supplies aren't limited. There's no telling how long subscriptions will be on sale for, so interested parties will want to pounce sooner rather than later. Xbox Live Gold is necessary for most premium apps, such as Netflix, on Xbox Live as well as for online multiplayer gaming. Having a Gold subscription also guarantees you free games each month. In January, Microsoft hooked up subscribers with free downloads of Sleeping Dogs and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
The Elder Scrolls Online won't require PS Plus, will require Xbox Live Gold
The Elder Scrolls Online will not require a PlayStation Plus membership to play on PS4, ZeniMax Online Studios Game Director Matt Firor wrote in a PlayStation Blog update. Bethesda confirmed to Joystiq that the subscription-based MMORPG will require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox One, however. Bethesda was in talks with Microsoft to allow Xbox One owners to play the game online without the Live subscription in August. That was after Firor revealed the developer's decision to go with a monthly subscription for the game instead of moving to a free-to-play format. The Elder Scrolls Online will cost players $14.99 per month when it launches April 4 for PC and Mac with next-gen console versions following in June. The game was recently handed a Mature rating by the ESRB, to which Bethesda said it is "unwilling to change the game's content to achieve a different rating."
Happy Wars removes Gold restriction for some free-to-play cheerful warring
Happy Wars developer Toylogic issued the eleventh update for the game today, allowing all Xbox 360 owners to play it regardless of their Xbox Live subscription level. As the platform's first free-to-play game, it was previously locked to those with a Gold level subscription. Instead, unpaid Xbox Live users can play every facet of the game save for multiplayer, missions and the treasure map sections, which remain locked to Gold subscribers. The update also adds a new game mode called Bounty Hunters, in which players earn bounties by defeating enemies, Big Towers and conquering other towers, adding to their team's total. The mode is available today until January 29. The title update also fixed issues that prevented progress in the Castle Defense mode, adjusted the item leveling system and changed the game's training mode into "Skirmish Mode." Happy Wars first launched in October 2012 and exceeded six million downloads one year later.
Lightning Returns demo out today, Amazon pre-orders get bonus Yuna DLC
You've seen all the trailers - so many trailers - but you can can finally check out Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 for yourself today. The JRPG's demo is available on Xbox Live, and it should hit PSN in North America later today, and Europe tomorrow. If you need extra incentive beyond sheer curiousness, if you use the game's social media themed Outerworld service in the demo to submit a battle score, you'll unlock an outfit for Lightning based on Final Fantasy 6's Siegfried - the outfit transfers over to the full game. Meanwhile, PS3 players who just try the demo unlock an Utsusemi Samurai outfit for the main game too. As if the returning heroine's wardrobe isn't already fit to burst, there's also news today of bonus Yuna garb with Amazon US pre-orders, along with the FF10 summoner's staff and victory pose. That's in addition to the Cloud-based pre-order bonuses, by the way. Somewhere beneath the ever-burgeoning pile of outfits is the game itself, which is due on PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America on February 11, and on February 14 in Europe.
Ubisoft to publish next-gen Tetris
Ubisoft announced plans to publish a new game in the Tetris series for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 today. While no details were given for the new game, the announcement makes mention that it will land on both platforms' digital channels, Xbox Live and PSN. It's hard to imagine what would make for a truly "next-generation" experience in the storied series, which turns 30 this year. Of the more innovative features the block-based puzzler has seen over the years are online competitive multiplayer modes as well as spins on the traditional Tetris formula in the form of puzzles, the "stack rotation" catch mode found in Tetris DS and the three-dimensional take on the puzzler in Tetrisphere for N64. Given what's hot in video games right now, we're hoping the next-gen Tetris game takes place in a procedurally-generated universe with roguelike treasure-collecting elements and emergent storytelling.
PSA: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light free now on Xbox Live Gold
Action puzzler Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is next up in the Games with Gold program, and Xbox Live Gold members can download it for free on their 360s right now. Raid the Joystiq tombs and you'll see we gave LCatGoL (catchy) four and a half stars. In the words of one Mr. Ludwig Kietzmann, "Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light introduces an unexplored social element into a franchise that I've come to adore for its sense of isolation and discovery. A second player, acting as Aztec guardian Totec, necessarily disrupts that atmosphere, but also facilitates unplanned moments of creativity." Developer Crystal Dynamics is hard at work on a new Tomb Raider to follow on from last year's reboot, and a follow-up to Guardian of Light isn't in the works (as far as we know!). That said, the Californian studio made sure it never said never...
This week's Xbox Live sale discounts Darksiders 2, Stacking
This week's deals on Xbox Live includes 67 percent discounts on both Darksiders ($6.59) and Darksiders 2 ($19.79) for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. The sale also slashes at the prices of two add-ons for the sequel, the Argul's Tomb DLC and Death Rides Pack for $2.30 each. Additionally, players can pick up Darksiders 2's season pass for $6.59 this week on Xbox Live. Among the other deals this week is MX vs ATV Reflex for $4.99, a 75 percent discount, and Double Fine's Stacking for half off ($7.49). Head past the break for a full list of this week's Xbox Live deals.
Pizza Hut Xbox 360 app made over $1 million in first four months
The Pizza Hut app on Xbox 360, which made its debut back in April and allows you to order food from the delivery chain directly through your console, has earned Pizza Hut quite a bit of dough – over $1 million in four months. That's around 166,667 P'Zones or 200,000 orders of breadsticks. The last notable collision between gaming and Pizza Hut was the implementation of "/pizza" in Everquest 2 back in 2005. When players typed in "/pizza," they'd be taken to Pizza Hut's online ordering page. "It's been a source of unbelievable growth for us," Pizza Hut PR head Doug Terfehr told Polygon. "Just the explosion of people who wanted to download it, experiment with it, play with it with Kinect. As soon as we did one, everyone was contacting us to do the next [one]." As for bringing a Pizza Hut app to other consoles, Terfehr says conversations are "ongoing."
