Next Borderlands DLC, 'The Secret Armory of General Knoxx' Announced

Gearbox Software and 2k Games revealed yesterday the latest upcoming DLC pack planned for Borderlands entitled, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. The new content is said to have "never-before-seen enemies in a huge new environment complete with tons of brand new missions."
New weapons and items are also promised, along with a previously confirmed raising of the character level cap from 50 to ... an undisclosed limit. Still, Gearbox states there will be "new challenges and opportunities for growth for characters from around level 34 to level 50."

There has been no word yet as to when this new DLC will be released but they did show off a few nice screenshots to wet our appetite.

Xbox Live Hits 23 Million Registered Users Worldwide

According to the latest fiscal report by Microsoft, the amount of new Xbox Live registrations grew by 35% year-over-year during the Q2 reporting period (October 1st to December 31st) of 2009 compared to the same period in the previous year. The increase could be attributed to the record-breaking launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which was released on November 10th of last year.

The online gaming service is now at an impressive 23 million users worldwide.


- http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-6894-Video-Game-News-Examiner~y2010m1d28-23-million-users-now-registered-to-Xbox-Live

Dante's Inferno To Get Super Bowl Ad

A report says that EA is looking to invest at least $2.5 million for a Super Bowl commercial spot.
EA has reportedly bought Super Bowl ad time for the upcoming hack-and-slash game Dante’s Inferno, which will be released on February 9. The Super Bowl is one of Americas biggest televised events of the year, with hundreds of millions watching. The only thing as crazy as how many people are watching, is the price for a 30sec commercial spot during the game, $2.5-3 million.
EA is putting a lot of their eggs all into one basket for Dante's Inferno in the upcoming month. EA is looking to score big as they hope to divert buyers from Take 2 Interactive's Bioshock 2, which will also be released on the same day.

Dante’s Inferno is being developed by Visceral Games, who created 2008’s stunning survival horror epic, Dead Space. It is expected to be a massive hit and EA and Visceral have been making a significant marketing push for the better part of several months in anticipation of the game’s pending release.

Dante’s Inferno will be released on February 9 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. A PSP version will also be released.

Bioware will announce new games at E3 2010

Bioware just shipped Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox 360 and they are not relaxing anytime soon. That's right, no break for the hard working guys at the Bioware studio. Bioware co-founder Ray Muzyka, has made the claim that Bioware will be announcing some major game titles at this years E3 show. He did not mention or give any clues as to what these games would be but speculation is that the games will be the Mass Effect series for the PS3. Maybe not so much as speculation but hopeful PS3 fans who are missing out on a great RPG.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo

The Battlefield Bad Company 2 multiplayer demo is now available for download on Xbox Live.

Dom and Marcus appear in Lost Planet 2?

Capcom contacted Epic games recently to talk about having Dom and Marcus make a cameo appearance in the Lost Planet 2 game. Epic of course said "heck yeah". Cliff Bleszinski tells Kotaku.com "We're mutual fans of each other's work and crossovers are darned cool so we sent over the Marcus and Dom models for implementation." Capcom is using the character models of Dom and Marcus, but are most likely not using the Gears of War controller layout. "I can't speak about the controls for LP2," Bleszinski adds. "Anything else about how it's accessed or used in game remains to be revealed. I'll leave that to Capcom's capable hands."

Fable III Unveil Next Month

Lionhead plans to unveil Fable III during Microsoft's X10 event next month in San Francisco, the studio announced on its Facebook page 2 days ago.

"We hinted at this a couple of weeks ago but today it's official, a big Xbox event called X10 will take place in San Francisco next month showing all the upcoming Xbox games!," the message reads.

"Of course Lionhead is excited about showing the latest of Fable III, but we're also very much looking forward to all other games and announcements... coming from this event! So put it in your diaries; 11th February in SF and on the internet, X10!"

Announced at last year's Gamescom in Germany, Lionhead director Peter Molyneux has discussed very few details about the project. He did, however, later confirm Fable III will use Microsoft's Project Natal motion camera as well as contain a form of in-game micro-transactions.

I jumped into this series a few months before the release of Fable II and really have grown to love it. I am real excited to hear more about this new game and how it will integrate Project Natal features.

Fable III is currently slated for release this holiday.

Final Fantasy XIII Will Have DLC

After many asked questions and time spent wondering if Square Enix would offer DLC for FFXIII, Producer Yoshinori Kitase has finally gone on record to confirm that there will indeed be extra content arriving for the game.

"At first we had plans to release the game simultaneously worldwide," Kitase revealed to Official PlayStation Magazine. "So we had the intention to deliver identical versions between the regions. When we noticed that we wouldn't make it, we decided to release the game as fast as possible in the west after its release in Japan. We initially had doubts to add extra content to the western version but then it would have taken the international version more months of delay. We did prepare DLC but it will arrive a little later in the west."

So DLC is on the way, a little late, but better late then never i suppose.
No details are forthcoming on what the DLC will be. As long as there are big swords and no armor packs for our Chocobos, I think were in for a treat!

Left 4 Dead 2 update

Valve is updating Left 4 Dead 2 on both the PC and Xbox 360. Players will no longer have to worry about not having enough players on their team to survive a versus mode online. Empty slots will be filled with bots. Many players gripe about having a bot on their team but a bot is better than being down one or two players and struggling to survive. Also the auto spawning will be no more, Valve will give the player the option to choose when to spawn. This should eliminate spawning near enemies and not being able to react in time. These updates should improve the game for everyone making the game more enjoyable for everyone. Now get out there and kill the undead.

Then and Now: The Latest Trailer for Aliens vs Predator

The latest trailer from Sega and Rebellion for their upcoming game Aliens vs Predator, takes a look back 10 years ago to their original game and explores the evolution from the old to new. In this trailer you get a good glimpse at what their original game looks like back from 1999, to what the game will look like now. Also fans and newcomers of the series will see what and how inspiration and direction of the upcoming game took from the roots of the still popular original.

Square Enix Announces Final Fantasy XIII Collector's edition for PAL Territories

Something that many people have been waiting to hear is if Square Enix will do a Collector's Edition of FFXIII. I am proud to tell you that your wish has been answered, well for some of us that is. Square Enix Announced yesterday their planes for the Collector's Edition of their game will be available in PAL territories (although pricing and other territories were not mentioned) and will storm its way into stores on March 9th of this year.
For information on PAL territories and what region you are in check here, Regions.

The Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition will contain the following.

• The Final Fantasy XIII game;
  
• Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Selection - an exclusive soundtrack CD featuring in-game music tracks especially chosen for the Limited Collector’s Edition by composer Masashi Hamauzu;
  
• The World of Final Fantasy XIII – a hardback book featuring character artwork, CG rendered artwork and environments from across the game’s production;
  
• Exclusive Art Prints - three highly collectible prints showing artwork of the Eidolons, the powerful summoned allies of the lead playable characters;
  
• A Unique ‘Brand of the l’Cie’ decal – a collectible decal featuring the most iconic symbol from the game’s storyline.
  
• The "Limited" Collector’s Edition will be available in a branded presentation box.

Sadly there has been no other mention yet if this will be coming to North America or any other regions. Though it is a small offering of some exclusive art and music, I think any fan of Final Fantasy would love to add this in their collection.

Final Fantasy 1 & 2 for the iPhone/iPod Touch

Yesterday Square Enix released on their Facebook page that Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II would be heading to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Over 20 years since the original FF game was released and we are getting them back in a great way. No word yet as to when they will be released but we are left with a few screen shots of each to tease us. You can notice the onscreen Dpad that will be used to move your character in one screen. It also looks as though they switched the old layout of commands (Fight, Magic, Defend, Item, Run) with a more efficient and illustrated touch menu.

I personally don't play to many games on my iPhone but these are just what I have been waiting for and would definitely get a warm welcome from me.

Final Fantasy:

Final Fantasy II:

Mass Effect 2 & The Cerberus Network

BioWare today released news saying that all Mass Effect 2 DLC will be delivered through their 'Cerberus Network'. All new copies of Mass Effect 2 will come with a download code for the free to use network. People who purchase the game used will have to pay for a code to download the service. 'The Cerberus Network' is said to alert players of all upcoming news and any new available DLC free of charge. BioWare already has confirmed Day One DLC and will offer first time buyers of the game free content. Mass Effect 2 is already being called "a must have for 2010." I myself had planned on holding off on buying the game for a little bit, but I don't know how long that will last.

ESPN to stream Live Sporting events on XBOX Live?

Hey sports fans are you tired of paying your cable company big subscription fees every month just so you can watch sports? I may just cancel my Cable service in the next few years. I stream Netflix to my TV on my Xbox 360 on a daily basis all for $8.99 a month. I don't need any movie channels. If I can't watch it on Netflix then I can watch it on the Zune Marketplace. Sometime down the road we all may be watching live sports games on Xbox Live. Yes you read that right, the Walt Disney Company is in talks with Microsoft to bring sporting events to Xbox Live from the ESPN network for an additional monthly fee. There is very little information on this right now but when we hear more on this subject we will be sure to post it immediately. Microsoft is constantly thinking of ways to improve its service and I think this has to be their best idea yet. If this goes through and comes to Xbox Live, it will change the way we watch TV forever. We already have changed the way we get our phone service. Thousands of people have switched over and now get there phone service through their Internet Service Provider. Stay tuned, we will fill you in on more about this as soon as we hear more details on this.

Mass Effect 2 Limited Edition Console!

Are you feeling that you didn't do enough to kick off the New Year right, looking for something more to spice it up before its to late? Well here's your chance. With the sequel to one of the most popular RPGs just one week away, Microsoft announced a Mass Effect 2 Limited Edition Console. The contents will include: (1) Black Elite Xbox 360, (2) Wireless Controllers, (1) 250gig HD, (1) Wired Headset and (1) Copy of Mass Effect 2.

As of now the Limited Edition Console is only being offered in Australia for a hefty sum of AUD$599 (USD$550) at participating retailers while stocks last.

Sadly for now it has only been announced for Australia, but I could see this making its way to the US soon. Also one last mention, no custom ME2 paint job on the Xbox.

December 09' NPD Sales

Prior to this month, the most units of a single game machine sold in a single month was the DS' record of 3.04 million units in December 2008. This year, Nintendo shattered their own record TWICE selling 3.81 million Wii and 3.31 million DS.
The PlayStation 3 just squeaks by the Xbox 360 this month with both units selling roughly 1.3 million each.

U.S. Video Game Hardware Sales, December 2009
1. Wii 3.81M
2. Nintendo DS 3.31M
3. PlayStation 3 1.36M
4. Xbox 360 1.31M
5. PSP 654.7K
6. PlayStation 2 333.2K

U.S. Top Ten Console Game Sales, December 2009
1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii, Nintendo) 2.82M
2. Wii Fit Plus (Wii, Nintendo) 2.41M
3. Wii Sports Resort (Wii, Nintendo) 1.79M
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360, Activision) 1.63M
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3, Activision) 1.12M
6. Wii Play (Wii, Nintendo) 1.01M
7. Mario Kart Wii (Wii, Nintendo) 936.1K
8. Assassin’s Creed II (360, Ubisoft) 783.1K
9. Left 4 Dead 2 (360, Electronic Arts) 728.5K
10. Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS, Nintendo) 656.7K

As hard as it is to believe though the PSP finally makes one jump forward into number 5 out selling Sony's still strong system PlayStation 2.
A NPD analyst Anita Frazier stated that December 09' was the industry's "biggest sales month ever, besting last December by 4%." But it wasn't enough, she said, to offset the year-to-year decline in 2009. Full year sales were 8% less than in 2008.

Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Card for $30.00

OK people if you are up for renewal on your Xbox Live subscription then I suggest you head over to http://bit.ly/5NmrJT before the deal expires. You can get a 12 Month Xbox Live subscription card for only $30.00, normally priced at $50.00.

Decapitation and Brutality Is The Name of The Game

Last week Sega and Rebellion released there newest trailer for Aliens Vs Predator entitled Killmoves. Although its a short video it shows some great action from the game, showing kill moves from all 3 races (Human, Predator, Aliens). I was already excited for this game when I heard about the contents of the Hunter Edition, but after seeing more of the trailers for this game I really cant wait!
Aliens Vs Predator will be released in North America Feb 16th 2010.

E3 Expo: June 15th-17th 2010

This year's E3 will take place from June 15th till June 17th 2010. Like you and I we are all waiting to hear more about Project Natal information (maybe the official name?), Halo Reach, Fable 3, Batman Arkham Asylum 2, Medal of Honor and maybe even Gears of War 3 information or at least a teaser trailer.
Register for E3 2010 as an attendee or media here: http://bit.ly/8m0Pwg

Get your latest E3 2010 information directly from the official site here: e3expo.com

BioWare Will Not Be Charging For Mass Effect 2 Day One DLC

Last week there was rumor of Mass Effect 2 DLC being released on the same day or close to the release of the game. Which as in most cases enraged many of the fans. Since then a BioWare rep has cleared up the confusion stating on Twitter: "Mass Effect 2 won't be charging for DLC on launch day," writes BioWare VP of Marketing Patrick Buechner. "BioWare will have more DLC details next week."

So will we be granted some free day one DLC or will we have to pay even more money for content released shortly after the games launch?

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This blog is created by Dave Byrd & Dominic Owen for all of your Xbox game reviews and gaming news. Feel free to leave us any feedback on our blog or at our email: outsidenews.reviews@gmail.com