#blizzard
Maybe we'll find out soon when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Blizzard's third paid expansion to World of Warcraft will be released — this year? But at least today we can show you the special edition you can buy of it. More »
Hey, you're already paying $14.99 a month to have access to the expansive, quest-strewn lands of World of Warcraft -- why not shell out a few extra bucks to claim the collector's edition of the MMO's upcoming expansion, Cataclysm? The premium, $79.99 version of the add-on, which will only be available in retail stores, just had its contents revealed by Blizzard.
The bundle includes a 176-page art book, a DVD featuring developer commentary and a quick background of the Warcraft universe, a CD of the expansion's soundtrack, a mouse pad, a starter deck and a few bonus cards for the World of Warcraft TCG, and -- the item which will force die-hard WoW players to spring for the special edition -- a "Lil' Deathwing" in-game pet. The expansion is still sans-release date, but the presser announcing this collector's edition promises that information will be divulged "in the months ahead."
We are now less in the dark about the Dark Ages version of The Sims. During its Gamescom 2010 presentation, EA announced a March 2011 release date for The Sims Medieval.
This iteration of the mega-popular life adds more than the poor plumbing and widespread illiteracy of the age: it also adds quest-based gameplay that allows you to gradually expand your kingdom with the help of a user-created "hero."
Things weren't looking great for APB and Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds last week, as the company underwent some layoffs in the "Art, Audio, Coding, Design, Production, and QA departments." According to GamesIndustry, things didn't improve over the weekend: Realtime Worlds is reportedly entering administration, a status somewhat similar to a U.S. company's decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The Scottish developer has named the Begbies Traynor Group as its administrator -- a third-party who attempts to rescue an insolvent company while still acting in the interests of its creditors. Much like with bankruptcy, this move isn't exactly a nail in the developer's coffin, but it could mean some radical reorganization is right around the corner.
The Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Gamescom keynote is about to get underway in Cologne - last year it brought us the PlayStation 3 Slim, so who knows what this year has in store. We should be getting underway soon ... just so long as the WiFi holds up. What we're hoping for: Some more HD remasters ... like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. There was a rumor about BBC4 being available on demand on PS3, perhaps we'll get a confirmation of that. So head on after the break and join us.
It's pretty much a universal truth that there can be only one. But which one? The suspense isn't exactly killing us in this latest Halo: Reach ViDoc, which details the six Spartans of Noble Team -- of which "only one will hold our fate in their hands," according to the wise Dr. Halsey (her mind was cloned twenty times, you know!).
We're betting on Noble Six, the guy with the "hyper-lethal" classification. After all, "there's only one other Spartan with that rating" ...
A torn Achilles tendon might have kept David Beckham out of the World Cup, but he's still fit enough to be named to the EA Sports Active 2 team. Peter Moore announced the soccer superstar's signing during EA's Gamescom press conference today, as the first of what should be several promotional spots of an active Beckham aired on a big screen behind the executive.
Beckham will be on loan to EA in a "brand ambassador" capacity, which is to say his handsome mug will be plastered all over EA Sports Active 2 marketing materials across Europe and Australia; though it seems he will not appear in the US advertising campaign, despite being a "part time player" for the Los Angeles Galaxy. It also seems that he won't appear in the actual game -- too bad, since we've always wanted to learn how to bend like Beckham from the man himself.
#harmonixmusicsystems
Dance Central, the upcoming dancing game from Rock Band developer Harmonix, is supporting more than rump shaking. Ten more tunes from the game have been confirmed today. More »
The debut trailer for BioWare's next, arguably even bloodier installment in its newest RPG franchise, Dragon Age 2, recently saw the light of day during EA's Gamescom press conference. Though trailers for the first installment focused on the game's menagerie of protagonists, this clip focuses on just one: Hawke, the spear-staff wielding badass who can apparently hold his own in a fight against the burliest of Darkspawn. Then again, when you can summon demon hands to literally rip enemies in twain, we suppose your fighting prowess isn't all that important.
How's this for heady irony? The "Games Aren't Art" faction takes a mighty blow today, and it comes at the hands of the publisher that brought us ... 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. THQ has revealed "uDraw," a four-by-six inch tablet peripheral for the Wii that makes drawing as natural an input into the system as punching and pointing.
It launches this holiday season in the states for $70, bundled with uDraw Studio, an "expansive drawing, coloring and art-based video game." A couple of other titles, Pictionary and Dood's Big Adventure will arrive on the same day for the appealing price of $30 with more on the way. Wiicasos in international territories can look for the pad in early 2011.
#gamescom
No, Dragon Age 2 won't look this good, but the Dragon Age 2 trailer that just debuted in Germany should give you a sense of the action they're going for. The game will be out in late March. More »
