All Topics older than one year ago

This Facebook exchange between two strangers begins as many Facebook exchanges between creepy dudes and attractive retail clients go. Read more...

Every day, in addition to The Daily Fix, we list off the day's biggest stories in this simple and easy to read format.

Sony is preparing a new PS3 bundle for the spring to capitalize on the hype surrounding the third and final The Hobbit film due in theaters this December. For $270, interested adventurers can snag a 500GB "super slim" PS3 - which comes with one DualShock 3 controller, appropriate wires and documentation - and a copy of Lego The Hobbit.

The latest from TT Games in the long line of Lego revamps focuses on the first two films in Peter Jackson's adapted trilogy, and sees Bilbo Baggins and his band of Dwarves (and one wizard) trek across Middle-earth in order to help the Dwarves reclaim their homeland. Lego The Hobbit launches this spring on just about every current platform: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, 3DS, PC and Mac.
[Image: Warner Bros.]

I'm not sure if this is coincidence or performance art.Read more...

The move to next-gen is free for owners of the PS3 copy.

Luke and Tristan talk torture porn, exploding Nazis and resurrecting robot Hitler.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 received a few new pieces of downloadable content today, one of which is the previously-revealed Japanese voice pack. Announced in November 2013, the voice pack costs $3.99 (£3.19/3.99 euros) and adds lip-syncing adjustments to match the game's Japanese voice overs.

Additionally, players can pick up three new sets of costumes and equipment, each set available for $3.99 (£3.19/3.99 euros). The three pieces of DLC - dubbed Ultimate Savior, Moogle Lover and Divine Wear - include a weapon, shield, adornment and garb. Players can buy all three in the premium collection pack for $9.99 (£7.99/9.99 euros), and can also pick up five new Lightning Returns themes on PS3 for $1.99 (£1.19/1.49 euros) and avatar items on Xbox 360 for $3.99 (£3.19/3.99 euros). [Image: Square Enix]

14.3% of them have converted to paid accounts, reveals Mojang’s Markus Persson.

A portion of a NWR review...

The short levels are perfect for a portable game session and the control options of the 3DS should provide a much better experience than a touchscreen. For the most part, the gameplay feels just right; however, the presentation falls short.

Full review here

Pizza is great. Everyone loves pizza, even thieves-for-hire. In fact, a well-known byproduct of being a kleptomaniac is an insatiable craving for carbohydrates. A Thief promotion at Newegg capitalizes on this by granting all who pick up a PC copy with a $10 coupon for Domino's Pizza. Enter the promo code SENTFPO during checkpoint for an additional ten percent off.

Thankfully, Newegg has extended some sales love to Thief's other platforms too. Grabbing a copy of Thief on PS4, Xbox One, PS3 or Xbox 360 before March 3 nets a gift card good for $5.

Thief, which launched this week, is a game our review said is "best when it sticks to the involving, slow-paced stealth that made its ancestor such a tense affair." Our review adds, "Thief succeeds when it's quiet, fingers reaching out and almost - almost - touching an irresistible spread of glittering prizes." [Image: Eidos Montreal]

The Simpsons has been around for a long time—which means there are a number of interesting factoids about the show you might not know about. Do you know, for example, what the show looked like when it started running? Read more...

Brawl on the right, Wii U on the left...

Wii U
Nintendo Minute: DKC: Tropical Freeze Favorite Levels
Remix II Stage 7: Get All the Vegetables!
Ice Hockey Trailer
Nintendo Minute – 1001 Spikes Developer Chat
Nintendo Minute – Retro City Rampage Developer Chat
Nintendo 3DS – New Owner’s Guide: Built In Software

3DS

Nintendo Minute: DKC: Tropical Freeze Favorite Levels
Remix II Stage 7: Get All the Vegetables!
Quell Reflect Trailer
Sky Kid Trailer
Nintendo Minute – 1001 Spikes Developer Chat
Nintendo Minute – Retro City Rampage Developer Chat
Nintendo 3DS – New Owner’s Guide: Built In Software

Looks like you might want to hit up Sam's Club if you're eager to get your hands on a Wii U. Worth a look this weekend, anyway!

Next week's JP Wii U VC - Super Contra (FC, 500 Yen) and Castlevania II (FC, 500 Yen)

— Daan Koopman (@NintenDaan) February 26, 2014

Next week's JP 3DS eShop releases - Bird Mania 3D Winter (100 Yen) and Gargoyle's Quest II (FC VC, 500 yen)

— Daan Koopman (@NintenDaan) February 26, 2014

The new Japanese demo of the week is for Kumamon ★ Bomber Puzzle de Kumamon Taisou, which is a Nintendo 3DS puzzle game.

— Daan Koopman (@NintenDaan) February 26, 2014

A portion of a Siliconera review...

All said and done, Wise almost single-handedly sets the tone for the entirety of Tropical Freeze. Getting him to come back and compose (mostly) original arrangements for the game’s soundtrack is exactly what the Donkey Kong Country successor needed to keep itself together.

Full review here

All these years. All that fish, all that rice, and you've (probably) been doing it wrong.Read more...

What does it take to be a master thief? IGN's weekly talk show figures it out with a special guest.

On the old generation of consoles, someone's stealing a little more of Thief's frame rate.

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]

Persona 3 is perhaps best described as "Basically, Buffy The Vampire Slayer at a super fashionable Japanese high school." If you're anything like me, that description alone would be enough to make you want to play.Read more...

Ubisoft opens the doors for all would-be looters to enter at their own risk.

Tulpa is an eerie, symbolic puzzle-platformer that draws inspiration from Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, American McGee's Alice and Limbo, with roots in occultism and theosophy. In layman's terms, it's a creepy game about secrets and sanity. It features two playable characters: Ophelia, who can interact with the physical world, and Oliver, who uses telekinesis to move objects.

Tulpa comes from two student developers and a musician in Larisa, Greece, working under the studio name Encryptique. The word "tulpa" translates to "conjured thing" or "thoughtform," magical things created by thought alone.

"Oliver is Ophelia's tulpa," Encryptique writes. "He was created by her own mind in need for support. That cause has an effect. Ophelia needs Oliver to be close, otherwise she begins to lose her sanity, ensuing an inevitable death."

Encryptique is looking to raise $500 on Indiegogo to finish Tulpa for PC, Mac and Linux. Specifically, the team needs two Unity Pro licenses, money for sound effects and a new laptop for the musician. Encryptique expects polishing Tulpa to take several months, though it will invite backers to beta test the game before launch. Tulpa is also on Steam Greenlight. [Images: Encryptique]

Internet Woes: "Internet access is a utility. A commodity that should get better and faster and cheaper over time. Anyone who says otherwise is lying for money," The Verge writes in a must-read essay.Read more...

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]

Buckle Up: Outlast's "Whistleblower" DLC is coming to PC and PS4 in April. It'll tell the story of Waylon Park, the source who contacted the protagonist of the main game. Judging by this screenshot, it will probably be super scary. We recently added the main game to our PS4 Bests List, and I can't wait to play more. More info here. [via Rely on Horror/NeoGAF]Read more...