Earlier today, Rockstar confirmed that the much-talked-about downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV would be released on February 17, 2009, exclusively for the Xbox 360. The DLC will be titled ‘The Lost and Damned’, and it won’t star Niko Bellic. Details follow.

The DLC will feature a new character named Johnny Klebitz, a member of the gang you’ll likely recognize called ‘The Lost’. Rockstar’s vice president of creative development, Dan Houser, had the following to say:

“Johnny is a very different character than Niko, with a very different background. I can’t go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City.”

“The story is not directly impacted by decisions you took in the main game, but tons of details and mysteries from the main story get explained, so it will add a lot of color to the main story. We feel like we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of the depth and detail.”

As previously stated, the DLC is expected to hit Live on February 17th of next year. Analysts predict it will end up in the $15-$20 price range. I personally predict that I won’t buy it.

Source: USA Today

PS3 finally gets some exclusive DLC TLC.  Sony has entered into an “exclusive marketing agreement” with Mirror’s Edge publisher and evil overlords Electronic Arts to bring downloadable content to the title via PSN.  How’d they manage that without the exorbitantly deep pockets of Microsoft?

Sony has also gone on record to squelch rumors that Mirror’s Edge would be a timed exclusive, stating that the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC versions would all release on the same day.

This is one of the things that amuses me about the console wars.  People are quick to point the finger at Microsoft’s wallet every time they get something exclusive (mainly because they publicly stated how much they paid for GTA4 content), but they also argue that Sony is above paying for exclusives “because they don’t have to”.

So that begs the question: What did Sony do get exclusive content in Mirror’s Edge?  Obviously, they didn’t pay for it, so it must just be that EA loves the PS3 so much that they decided to give them something special.  Apparently Microsoft didn’t see Mirror’s Edge as worth the cost to buy the DLC away from Sony… or maybe Microsoft is finally running out of money (not likely).

In actuality, Sony getting exclusive content does not rule out the 360 or PC from getting their own exclusive content, much like the exclusive characters in SoulCalibur IV.  I’m still curious what the point of exclusive DLC is anyway, as it doesn’t seem to have made that big of an impact so far.

Sony used to agree with that, but apparently exclusive DLC now has a purpose and is way cool… or maybe they just couldn’t afford GTA4 and Fallout 3. What do you think? Are Sony and Microsoft bidding on exclusives, or do you think perhaps there are some console fans in the development houses themselves putting out content for the system they prefer?

Source: Eurogamer

After receiving the Edge Award for Interactive Innovation, Halo 3 creators Bungie have thanked the publication via a highly entertaining video.  In it there are hints towards a new Halo development, but not a new game as many have been suggesting.

We suspect that when Luke Smith says, “Even though in Halo 3 you finished the fight, it doesn’t necessarily mean the ride’s over,” he is referring to the often teased Halo 3 online expansion. For example, a few weeks ago this was said on Bungie’s very own blog:

While a lot of the changes done this month were backend things that players will never notice, you would be right to think that August’s changes feel very minimal. The reason for this is that we’ve been focused on preparing a larger series of changes to Matchmaking for September. Much larger.

Much, much larger.

No, really. It’s huge. You should see how giddy Luke gets when I talk about the tentative plan.

And even before then “major changes to the Halo 3 Online experience” were teased. Check out the video below.

After the controversy of E3, where Bungie were stopped from making a new game announcement by Microsoft, it seems all they can do is hint and tease.  Well, we’re taking notice and we expect to hear more about an online expansion very soon.  September maybe…

Image Credit: DeepBlue of Neogaf

Word on the street is that a super secret special surprise awaits players that have completed Metal Gear Solid 4.  Rumor has it that something will unlock in the game come this December.  If you’ve beaten the game, you’ll know the relevance of the six-month time frame (no spoilers here, sorry).  Kojima has supposedly said that people who pirate the game will miss out on “something special” which further fuels the idea since pirated copies don’t necessarily sync well with PSN.  So, what’s the surprise? 

Speculation is that an update will occur via PSN that will unlock the mystery of what happens to Snake after the ending of MGS4.  Because it’ll occur via PSN, you won’t be able to “cheat” and find out ahead of time what the secret is by changing your PS3’s internal clock.  Now the question remains of whether this content will merely be an additional cutscene or if it will actually be playable.

Again, this is just a rumor, but one that is picking up some steam within the Metal Gear community.  It could all just be bullshit to make you never want to get rid of your copy of the game, or there really might be some truth to it.  After all, you know what they say about Internet rumors…

Source: GameBlog.fr (it’s French, so maybe this is all just a mistranslation)

As you may or may not know, the PC port of Mass Effect has been delayed. It kinda sucks, but at least we have the consolation of further optimization for the PC (if yours can run it, that is). And if that wasn’t enough, we’re being told that those of you that have been holding off until the PC version are going to be rewarded with the awesome Bring Down The Sky DLC pack that was originally announced for the Xbox 360.

It’s not going to be included on your install disk, which is reportedly going to install an insane 12GB worth of data on your HDD. It’ll be available for download in time for the release of the PC game, for free, so long as you’re a registered member of the BioWare community. If we don’t see another delay, expect it on May 28th Stateside and June 6th for our European brethren.

Press release:

First Downloadable Content Free with Mass Effect PC EDMONTON, Alberta—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), has announced that “Bring Down the Sky,” the first piece of downloadable content for the award-winning space epic Mass Effect™, will be available for PC gamers to download free1 of charge when Mass Effect for the PC releases on May 28, 2008 in North America and June 6, 2008 in Europe.

Fully optimized for the PC, “Bring Down the Sky” is the first in a series of planned downloadable content that will further expand the Mass Effect story and universe. It includes a new uncharted world that introduces the deadly Batarian alien race, approximately 90 minutes of new gameplay and an original soundtrack.

Batarian extremists have hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only Commander Shepard can save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid completes its deadly descent.

Originally released for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, “Bring Down the Sky” has received critical acclaim as one of the “must have” downloadable expansion packs. Mass Effect has also received critical acclaim throughout the world with more than 80 awards including Console Game of the Year and Role-Playing Game of the Year.

The “Bring Down the Sky” downloadable content for PC will be available at the launch of Mass Effect for the PC, and will be free of charge to registered BioWare community members.

After seeing the huge sales of downloadable songs for Guitar Hero III and their very own Rock Band, Electronic Arts had this fantastic idea – offer downloadable soundtracks for all of their games. Read on for why we think this is tremendously stupid.

Guitar Hero III has sold over 5 million songs, while Rock Band fans have downloaded more that 2.5 million. Considering these tracks are priced anywhere from one to two dollars, that adds up to a lot of money, especially for not being a physical product.

EA wants to take the assumed consumer demand for downloadable songs and apply it to their other franchises. No offense to anyone working for EA or to EA in general, but that’s fucking ridiculous.

EA doesn’t seem to realize that people are downloading these songs for Rock Band because the songs themselves are the game. People aren’t getting these songs just to relax and listen to. No one is going to pay a few bucks to hear different songs on the menus while playing Madden.

I would assume that if they offer a new downloadable soundtrack for Madden, for example, that the songs would only be available while playing Madden. EA could, however, have everything slapped together and have one large depository for music in their games — expand the “EA Trax” feature across all of their games.

All of that sounds okay on the surface, maybe, unless you know how to use your console properly and can navigate your way around a computer. I’m not completely savvy when it comes to the PS3’s media features, but the Xbox 360 lets you stream music stored on your hard drive, your computer, or a portable device (even a PSP) while you are playing a game. You can effectively replace any soundtrack to any 360 game with any music that you want.

So tell me, EA, why in the hell would anyone pay the same amount of money to download a song to use exclusively with your games as they would to download a song from something like iTunes and use it anywhere they want? They wouldn’t. That was a rhetorical question.

EA hopes that you just don’t know about these console features so that you easily fall victim to their bullshit. Unfortunately for the world, plenty of people probably will download EA’s soundtracks. NPD surveys suggest that half of PS3 owners and only 30% of 360 owners even know that their consoles are capable of hi-def graphics.

EA reads stats like this and assumes (maybe correctly) that you don’t know what you’re doing. Please don’t be one of those people, and help spread the word. Together we can fight the oppression.

Sorry, EA, but I’m going to have to hit the button on this one.

Source: Reuters

Have you had enough of First Person Shooters? It was such a dominant genre this year that it seemed to define what it meant to be “next-gen.” We’re not quite out of the woods yet, but 2008 promises to bring us a more diverse line-up. What games or concepts will characterize the industry as we move into the second generation proper?

It wasn’t that long ago when I considered writing an editorial complaining about the lack of variety in games this generation. Some developers will always be making software outside the norm, so it would’ve been by no means absolute if I’d said “can’t you guys come up with anything else?!”

Let’s face it, First Person Shooters get a lot of attention in a lot of different ways and few games have been fawned over as much lately as HALO 3, Orange Box (Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2), Crysis, or Call of Duty 4. Then there’s Unreal Tournament III, Resistance, Timeshift, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Red Steel, Shadowrun, Soldier of Fortune Payback, Blacksite: Area 51, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Even, in many ways, the inimitable Bioshock qualifies. Not all are good, but some are great, maybe even “best game ever” material.

So why did we see so many this past year (and before you ask, yes, I’m aware some were technically released in 2006)? Part of the answer might be found in the types of technology they’re pushing, making them great showcases for what new gaming platforms can do.

There were also some hotly anticipated sequels released, with HALO 3 in particular having the “biggest day in entertainment sales ever.” Multiplayer features have also been a big draw, keeping players hooked for the long haul. And, of course, there’s also the socio-political pressure that’s been put on the genre since day one (though, ironically enough, most of the attention has been focused on Manhunt 2, which isn’t a shooter at all).

Taking all of that into account, maybe it was just a perfect storm of sorts — one grand coincidence created by the combination of a strict holiday deadline and finally-finished development times.

But 2008 looks remarkably different with fewer First Person Shooters on the docket. Thinking of the top of my head, only three stand out – Ubisoft’s delayed HAZE, hype-machine Killzone 2, and, well, Duke Nukem Forever (good one, Broussard!). There will unquestionably be others, but it looks like my original fears were unwarranted. I’ll no longer need to be writing that article.

So, with the FPS taking some much needed time off, what other genre will we be sick and tired of by the end of next year?

2008: Year of the Free-Roamer?

It’s a no-brainer that Grand Theft Auto IV is going to rule the gaming scene. Whether it comes out in the Spring (as planned), or in the Fall (as expected), it will serve as the anchor for free-roaming sandbox games to sail into port. Like a ship-load of liquored-up seamen on shore leave, though, we should probably hope they don’t overstay their welcome.

Remember what happened last time? Free-roaming elements shoehorned into every orifice of a game which otherwise might’ve been good, checkpoint races that take you from zero to frustrating inanity in four seconds flat? A redux of this kind of game design without appropriate context built around it would be unfortunate for an industry that really needs to start finding new ideas.

That said, I’ve got a feeling that we’re in for a few tasty treats. Last year’s GTA clone du jour, Saints Row, should be having another go-around. Up against the king itself, this time, the court jester’s got to become the assassin. Or at least some sort of bizzaro-world, evil twin assassin, considering that the more Volition tries to differentiate itself from its inspiration, the closer it seems to come to it.

“Saints Row has a much darker and more sinister story that leads your character down a path of betrayal, revenge, and redemption against the city that left him for dead, although we’ve blended that with the same light-hearted humor from the original.”

That’s from the official announcement press release. Bittersweet story of revenge with cheeky, culture-skewering laughs thrown in to balance out (or sometimes compliment) the wanton bloodshed? Sounds like a crib notes version of Grand Theft Auto to me.

If Volition’s up to the task and rolls out a quality product, though, I don’t think anybody’s willing to complain.

Speaking of inspiration, ‘08 should see at least two from the school of Crackdown (and hopefully expanding on its great, but underdeveloped concepts). Prototype comes from the makers of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, another last-gen free-roamer, and from the recent footage shown at the Spike Video Game Awards, it looks like your character’s super-destructive powers improve the more you use them.

Sucker Punch’s Infamous, of which we’ve seen nothing since E3, also looks to hit next year. Featuring a similarly-endowed avatar, it’s easy to draw comparisons to Prototype, but from what we can glean, it leans more towards a super-hero morality tale. The early trailer seemed to imply that you would do more than just play around in a sandbox, you’d shape it, and that you might have the delightfully villainous ability to destroy man in the process.

Assuming other titles like L.A. Noire and Mercenaries 2 also show up in ‘08, sandbox games look poised to, er, rule the sandbox once again.

2008: Year of Game 2.0?

Game 2.0’s a fancy term, but it’s not at all a new concept. The idea that a someone could effectively change, hack, or recombine elements of a game has bred a healthy, if somewhat exclusive modding community. I say “exclusive” because of the technical know-how often needed to produce any worthy results, let alone something other people would actually enjoy fooling around with.

Game 2.0 aims to bring those capabilities down to the average human being, just as Prometheus did with fire. Hopefully no vengeful gods are angered in the process.

Leading the charge is Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet, now firmly locked as a 2008 title. Voraciously cute and brimming with creativity, it puts almost all of the game’s development possibilities in the player’s hands. Levels are completely customizable. If you can do it with physics, you can probably do it in LBP. Likewise, being able to import various stamps and graphics allows you to add your own, unique look to creations.

Often times, though, we don’t know a whole lot about a game’s customization features until later on its development cycle when it becomes a fully fleshed-out concept. It’s tough to say what may or may not come out way in 2008, but this year’s offerings gave us a tease.

HALO 3’s Forge was a great way to appeal to casual modders, stripping away the need to meddle around in screens of code for half a year before quitting, resurrecting your project two weeks later, and then another two weeks later finally telling the whole affair to sod off for good. Plus, we get some really neat things out of it, like Rit Dye’s self-portrait.

And that’s really the spirit of Game 2.0, isn’t it? Flexing your creative muscle and accomplishing things even the original developers would never have conceived?

Some of the other things that have impressed me lately are custom paint jobs. Forza 2’s liveries were a huge hit. Using up to a thousand different shapes, modified for size and color, players have concocted some truly elaborate skins for their cars.

With features like this, Forza becomes just as much a canvas for budding artists as it does a game for car enthusiasts.

Rock Band’s character customization has a similar, if slightly less elaborate, system for creating tattoos to slap on your avatar. Even I was able to construct a basic Pokeball, clearly making my rocker the coolest dude in town.

Ah, and then there’s the unique art of making a complete fool of yourself. Perhaps latching more onto the “unfortunate internet celebrity” bandwagon instead of the “express yourself” bandwagon, Sony’s SingStar lets you record videos of yourself singing like banshee and shuffling back-and-forth as awkwardly as possible in your very own living room! Though it hasn’t hit the US yet (licensing issues, to be sure), the game is beginning to leak out around Europe, and the results couldn’t be more embarassing.

In 2008, modders will continue to mod, but you don’t need to be a coding whiz to participate in the creation of something new. The concept of Game 2.0 is just beginning to hit its stride, dragging every undiscovered genius along with it.

2008: Year of the Downloadable Content?

Not all predictions are hopeful. The DLC model has introduced us to the concept of microtransactions, and we’re bound to see more in the coming years, both good and bad. For every The Godfather cheat in the world, you’ve also got new songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

But if we’re talking about digital distribution in general, then we’re getting some pretty keen stuff through the same channels – fully, downloadable games, many of the “independent developer” persuasion. Highlights of 2007? Everyday Shooter, Super Stardust HD, Gripshift, Warhawk, PixelJunk Racers, High Velocity Bowling, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Bomberman, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and others. That’s some serious pedigree right there.

Nintendo’s entering the fray next year with WiiWare (Virtual Console aside, of course), which should only push the phenomenon further.

There’s also the hope that we’ll see bigger titles available online, like the aforementioned Warhawk. Older titles are great (VC, Xbox Originals, PS Classics), but new games are even better. Since we know this is the direction that the industry is moving towards in the future (how can we forget about the crazy success of Steam?), I don’t think it would be far-fetched to say we’ll see a lot of DLC in 2008.

2008: What It Probably Won’t Be

Perhaps the most ideal year will be one in which no particular genre or concept will dominate. We’ll all live together in harmony and skip down Candy Cane Lane as unicorns soar overhead dropping rainbow-colored gumdrops straight into our mouths. Then one bold individual will realize that our utopia is a sham and that human nature always has a way of breaking out of its shackles. We’ll suffer through the Great Fluffy Bunny War for a few years before society can be rebuilt, and then a clever author will write a best-selling book about the whole affair.

Or maybe I’m thinking of 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends. Oh well, we’ll deal with that when we get to it.

Something we can’t deny, though, is the entertainment industry’s penchant for taking a good idea and driving it into the ground. That’s the one constant we can depend on.

That said, 2008 probably won’t be the Year of the RPG (FFXIII won’t hit until 2009, or later), it probably won’t be the Year of Waggle (it’s either outlived its welcome or already become so ingrained in our collective gaming consciousness that we won’t think about it so much anymore), and it probably won’t be the Year of Sports Games (bold prediction, I know!).

And, thank the gods, it probably won’t be the Year of the FPS again!

For what it’s worth, I’m banking on my very first pick (Year of the Free-Roamer) to be the right one. What about you, dear readers? What do you think will define the world of gaming in 2008?

For better or for worse, it looks like downloadable content is here to stay. From horse armor to new car tracks, everyone seems to be cashing in. From a gamer’s standpoint it’s hard not to be concerned by this new industry trend. That’s why this news comes as such a surprise to us.

Knowing EA, we cant help but be skeptical about all of this. Is this a goodwill gesture to the community? Or is it a shifting of resources, so that all available assets are spent working on the inevitable sequel to Skate? Executive Producer Scott Blackwood commented to EGM that they are “not planning any new content for Skate 1″.

“We didn’t want to go back and ask [people] for more money to get more shoes and shirts,” Blackwood said. “That’s not how we wanted to enter this market.”

Is this the beginning of a trend for EA? It’s no secret the company hasn’t had the best track record for staying out of gamers’ wallets. So what’s their angle here? Are they hoping to build positive PR between iterations of the Skate franchise? Or are they beginning the first steps towards compromising with gamers?

According to an earnings call transcript with Take 2’s CFO Lainie Goldstein, Microsoft has spent a total of 50 million dollars acquiring downloadable content for the upcoming GTA IV title.

“The first 25 million is for the first episodic content package that ’s supposed to go out and that is in March of ’08. That’s why it moved into current because it’s in the next 12 months. The second 25 will be for the second episodic, the episode, and that will be later in fiscal ’08.” – Laine Goldstein.

A copy of the complete transcript can be obtained online by visiting this link.

“Shit… Looks like they upgraded.” Thats right Marcus, you and the rest of the Delta Squad boys are getting an upgrade tomorrow … well its an update but you get the idea.

On your feet soldiers, the first of the updates involves a revamped and retooled roadie run (say that five times fast). The developers are saying that this will mean greater control over a gamers movements while running.

The second aspect of tomorrows update will make use of the new Microsoft guidelines allowing developers to add 250 additional gamerpoints via downloadable content, however the achievements are tied to the Annex game mode and Hidden Fronts map pack.

If you can wait until September 3rd the Hidden Fronts map pack becomes free, otherwise you are going to have to download (and pay) for the new content first in order to access up your precious gamer score.

Ok, who farted?

“The next Gears of War update is coming along nicely”, said Epic VP Mark Rein on the official Gears of War forum. He added that while a release timeframe has yet to be set Epic wanted to make every effort to let the fans of the game know that significant progress was being made to the many aspects of the game including but not limited to the roadie run … new achievements have been added to the Annex and Hidden Fronts DLC as well.“The title update is free and that’s what contains the achievements. However some of the achievements are tied to things relating to playing the maps in the Hidden Fronts map pack which currently costs money but will be made free in a few months.” It should also be noted that Epic plans on making full use of the new Microsoft guidelines which will allow developers to add 250 extra gamerpoints via downloadable content.

The Hidden Fronts map pack containing four new multi-player maps are on Xbox Live Marketplace right now and can be yours for a measly 800 Microsoft points … well worth the investment.

Digg It