Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – 3 DLC Packs Announced

Fans of the best racing game of the year, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, should get their racing gloves ready. Tuesday, EA will release the first of three announced DLC packs for the game expanding not only the car selection but also adding game modes. Here are the details on the DLC along with their release dates:

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Armed and Dangerous – February 22, 2011

The first pack, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Armed and Dangerous, contains two all-new game modes that expand and extend the spectacular online experience. “Most Wanted” is an open world battle where the cops are out to bust a specific racer while the racers battle to protect them, making full use of the open world, weaponry and demanding team tactics. In “Arms Race” it’s every man for himself as racers use their full arsenal of weaponry on each other in ruthless races to the finish. In addition, this pack also contains three new trophies and achievements. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Armed and Dangerous will be available beginning February 22 for $6.99 (560 Microsoft Points) on the PlayStation Network or Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Lamborghini Untamed – March 1, 2011

Lamborghini Untamed adds three of the world’s most famous Lamborghini’s to the game, but with a Need for Speed Hot Pursuit twist; the legendary Lamborghini Diablo SV, Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV and Lamborghini Sesto Elemento will all be playable as both a cop and a racer. In addition to this, the Lamborghini Untamed content pack will include 10 new events and four new trophies and achievements. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Lamborghini Untamed will be available beginning March 1 for $6.99 (560 Microsoft Points) on the PlayStation Network or Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Porsche Unleashed – March 8, 2011

The third pack, Porsche Unleashed, continues to add to the already stellar lineup of Porsche cars in the game. Any car enthusiast will be delighted to see the Porsche 911 Turbo (1982 Edition) make its way into the game, along with the Porsche 959 and 911 Speedster. The Porsche 911 Turbo is a high performance tier one car, designed to enable players to go back and reignite their earliest rivalries and beat their friends’ times. Also included in this pack are 10 new events and four new trophies and achievements. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Porsche Unleashed will be available March 8 for $6.99 (560 Microsoft Points) on the PlayStation Network or Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

If you haven’t picked up this game yet – this should be reason enough to seek out the deals. Drivers – Start Your Engines!

Source: EA News Feed

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Stir: Reboots

Chris Forbis | MensaDad | Twitter |

Reboots to me are a reimagining of any IP.  This could be a game, a movie, or even a song that has been tailored to connect with a new audience – or to regain a previous one.  While the financial incentives to reboot an ageing franchise are somewhat obvious, the process is also wrought with controversy.  Every armchair quarterback will weigh in on how the remake compares to its predecessor – just adding to the buzz.

I am particularly fond of reboots.  Many times a reboot is what draws my attention to a franchise; for example, Fallout 3.  This being my entry point into the Fallout world, I chose to go back and play the previous Fallout games and – they really didn’t do much for me.  I was just really disappointed in the execution of the game even though the story intrigued me.

Since Fallout finally evolved into one of my favorite franchises via its rebirth, there are some other games and movies that I would like to see rebooted and/or updated in much the same way.

Space Quest (Game) – This witty game from Sierra On-Line followed the adventures of Roger Wilco, an intergalactic janitor.  A modern day, third person remake would retell Roger’s adventures to a new generation of gamers.

Dragon’s Lair (Game) – Originally an arcade title using DVD video technology to string clips together based on user interaction.  Remade as a third person adventure but keeping the traditional hand-drawn animation style, this game has tons of room for new life to be breathed into it.

RoboCop (Movie) – Isn’t it about time for someone to update this movie series?  With today’s visual effects – an update of this franchise could be truly amazing.

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Diablo III – Still Hope For Consoles

Blizzard, makers of Diablo III, have posted a job listing for a “Senior Producer For Consoles” for the Diablo III team. CEO Mike Morhaime stirred the console pot at DICE last week stating that Blizzard was actively investigating a console version of Diablo 3.

“I think you could make an argument that a game like Diablo might play very well on a console .  It’s something that we’re actually doing an investigation into to see if that could make sense.”
- Mike Morhaime CEO Blizzard Entertainment

With TorchLight hitting Xbox 360 in the coming weeks, it seems the folks at Blizzard are finally convinced that Diablo will work on a console.  Torchlight is often compared to Diablo and was developed by former Diablo team members.  I hope the Torchlight folks at least get an ‘at-a-boy pat on the back for paving the way with their proof of concept.  If TorchLight is successful on the console platform(s) – there will be little doubt that Diablo III will follow.

Source: G4TV – The FEED

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Left 4 Dead 2 DLC Revealed

Valve truly embraces the game modding community.  The recent DLC announcement is a perfect example as it will bring some community based mods to console gamers.

“Matthew Lourdelet (2 Evil Eyes) has been working on a new community campaign – Cold Stream. We loved 2 Evil Eyes and Cold Stream looks even more promising with innovative game play arenas and effects. Matthew has really shown that there are still plenty of new ideas in L4D2 modding.

He recently shared it with us and we love it so far but it isn’t done. We were tempted to have him quietly finish it with our help and release it as part of an upcoming DLC.

Tempted… but we decided against that. Instead, we think we have a better idea. We want you the community to be part of the process of taking his unfinished campaign and releasing it as DLC on the Xbox 360, PC and Mac.”

The DLC, which has yet to be named or dated, will be a sort of “map pack” and will not include any new story elements – only new campaigns.  To start off with, the remaining three Left 4 Dead campaigns will be included in this DLC.  Since it is being developed on what Valve likes to call “Valve Time”, the DLC will be released only when it is ready – but it will be sometime AFTER Portal 2 is released.

The Beta version will be available on PC and Mac only – and you can make suggestions on what to include in a forum dedicated to the development of the “Cold Stream” DLC.

Source: Bobby (^RF) of the XboxSupport Elite Tweet Team / Left 4 Dead Blog

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YouTube Seeks Game Developers For Console Based TV App

With all the layoffs in the gaming industry combined with the drive to bring a TV experience to gaming consoles – it’s only natural that YouTube would want to get in on the action.  In an ad seeking developers, Google and YouTube are making their move, again.

Based on the ad they are looking to invade the Xbox 360, PS3 as well as the Wii.  While YouTube XL is a browser based interface already available from YouTube, and Google TV requires an appliance – this clearly steers them in the direction of an app instead.  This is directly from the ad describing what they are aiming to build.

Build the next generation game-console-based TV experience with You Tube video content.

Deliver a compelling lean back experience with monetization and e-commerce offerings (ie, pay-per-stream, ads).

Integrate and optimize with distribution channels and devices including all major game platforms.

Develop leading edge User Interfaces and delight users with innovative media rich solutions.

So – Do you see YouTube TV in your future or is this an expansion of Google TV onto gaming platforms?  It sounds to me like Google TV will be coming to my gaming console to complete with Hulu in the near future.

Source: Joystiq / Google

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