Source: videogamesblogger.com

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a game that will expand on the critically acclaimed original game in the series that released for the Xbox and PC in 2004 as The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

The new game not only brings the entire original to next-gen consoles with upgraded graphics, effects and audio, but an entirely new game that’s just as large as the original has been added in addition to numerous gameplay enhancements and features.

Starring Vin Diesel as the titular anti-hero Riddick (who has heightened sensory abilities that allow him to see and hear beyond normal human ranges), you must break out of the galaxy’s most deadly prison in this compelling 1st person action experience. Check out the all new trailer for the game.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Activision has started “Double XP” Week for Call of Duty: World At War for those Xbox 360 and PC users who have the Limited Collector’s Edition.

Those who qualify will have the opportunity to earn double the experience points with access to the “Double XP Officer’s Club” playlists. It will end at 11:59AM Pacific Standard Time in the U.S. on Friday, December 12th. So you have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to rack up those points!

Call of Duty: World At War is the latest game in the first-person war series and the 5th game in the franchise. For this title the setting was brought back to World War II after the huge success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare which was set in modern times. The game recieved great reviews across the board.

It is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC at a price point of $60, on the Wii for $50, the PS2 for $40 and the DS for $30. It’s rated M for Mature (Intense Violence, Strong Language, Blood and Gore).

Here’s the awesome launch trailer for the game.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

From today, at 9AM GMT (2AM PDT), you can play Q Entertainment’s Meteos Wars on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. Meteos Wars will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points (that’s US$10 / €9.60 / £6.80 / CAN$12.40 / AU$13.20).

In Meteos Wars you take a ride through an intergalactic journey where you slide, stack, and ignite your blocks to blast away the world-ending Meteos. Only you can stop them from falling and crushing your planet! Master combo links and power-ups to challenge your friends in intense multiplayer sessions.

Also available today is Namco Bandai’s PowerUp Forever on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. PowerUp Forever will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points (that’s US$10 / €9.60 / £6.80 / CAN$12.40 / AU$13.20).

Survive! Assimilate! Evolve! In PowerUp Forever, you must grow to survive, and to grow you must destroy! Hunt and defeat enemy Guardians to harvest their glowing energy cores, gaining power to grow your ship and expand your weaponry. As you evolve, you attract the attentions of ever-larger enemies, and your fight for survival goes on.

PS: You can also download a free Winter Holiday Theme!

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Gears of War 2 has hit an astounding 3 million units sold, a major milestone, in it’s first month on store shelves. Just for comparison’s sake, the original Gears of War that released for the Xbox 360 in November of 2006 took ten weeks to reach 3 million units sold. And Gears 2 did it in four.

This was confirmed by Edge who spoke with Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein via an e-mail where he stated that “Microsoft [the game’s publisher] confirmed to me this afternoon that Gears of War 2 sell-through surpassed 3 million units as of last week.”

To date the original Gears of War has sold close to five million copies.

As for the sequel, Gears of War 2 has consistently been one of the top played Xbox Live games online since it’s release on November 7th.

Don’t forget to check our Gears of War 2 cheats page as well as this interview with Gears of War 2’s Marcus Fenix voice actor John DiMaggio, as well as the awesome Gears of War 2 Last Day Trailer and Gears of War 2 Rendezvous trailer and finally, this interview with Gears of War creator Cliffy B. about Gears of War 3 and the Gears of War movie.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Capcom has announced the Special Collector’s Edition version of Street Fighter IV for Xbox 360 and PS3. It will release alongside the normal game on February 20, 2009, although it’s so far only been announced for Europe.

Along with the game itself, everything from the Special Collector’s Edition is snugly housed in a classic Street Fighter scene outer case!

The Street Fighter IV – Special Collector’s Edition includes:

* Limited edition figurines of all time favorite character Ryu and the all new character Crimson Viper, positioned within the familiar settings of the ‘crowded Chinese downtown’.
* A bonus disc containing a feature length HD quality anime movie, created specially for the launch of Street Fighter IV and a selection of the best game trailers to date.
* A mini strategy guide created in the style of a comic art book detailing the moves and biographies of four of the new characters to the series; Viper, Abel, El Fuerte and Rufus
* Exclusive downloadable game content

Gamers in the United States will not get both character figurines at the same time as in Europe. Rather, the Xbox 360 version will come with the Crimson Viper figurine (as well as the anime on DVD disc) and PS3 gamers will get the Ryu figurine (with the anime on Blu-ray disc).

Additionally, you can pre-order the game to snag a replica of Ryu’s headband.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has gotten it’s latest downloadable content (DLC) update in the form of a new mission along with a new set of character skins for players to try out.

Called the “Jedi Temple Mission Pack”, it’s priced at 800 Microsoft points ($10) for the Xbox 360 version and brings Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice to Coruscant and the ruins of its Jedi Temple as the protagonist searches for more information on his father.

The stage itself, the Jedi Temple, appeared in the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii versions of the game but ended up getting cut from the Xbox and PlayStation 3 versions. So now next-gen console owners will be able to see what they were missing out on.

New costumes from the Mission Pack include: Temple Exploration Gear, Cybernetic Reconstruction Apprentice, Sith Training Gear, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, Dark Stalker, Lightsaber Training Droid and Combat Training Droid.

A separate 400 Microsoft Point ($5) Character Pack adds a variety of new player skins, including: Republic Trooper, Tatooine Luke, Ben Kenobi, Jedi Master Plo Koon, Count Dooku, Jango Fett, and C-3PO along with three new costumes: Utility Combat Suit Apprentice, Animated-style Apprentice, and Spirit Apprentice.

Note that the PlayStation 3 version of the “Jedi Temple Mission Pack” will be available on December 11th.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Atari has announced Heroes Over Europe for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The game is the sequel to the air combat/dogfighting prequel, Heroes of the Pacific (released for PS2, Xbox, PC and PSP in 2005) and is being developed by Red Mile Entertainment and published by Atari.

The game will take aspiring combat pilots into the bullet-ridden heart of major World War II European air battles in glorious dogfight-friendly high definition. Heroes over Europe follows the Allied campaign from the attacks on London to the destruction of Berlin, with players under orders to strap themselves into the authentically rendered cockpits of the campaign’s iconic aircraft. Their mission: “to survive the most ferocious dogfights ever seen in a flight combat game.”

Here is the trailer for the new game.

Key Features for Heroes Over Europe include:
* Best tactical dogfights in HD: relive the best tactical dogfights in over 40 types of ultra-realistic iconic warplanes of the era, all presented in stunning high definition graphics with realistic localized damage on aircraft;
* Meticulously rendered environments: detailed landscapes and landmarks recreated in painstaking detail including faithful representations of London and Berlin to bring war-torn World War II to life;
* Legacy of ‘Heroes’ series: new installment in the Heroes series builds on its impressive legacy with highly detailed realistic visual presentation and more online options;
* Comprehensive online gameplay: fight for the skies with 4 modes of online multiplayer action for up to 16 players;
* Downloadable content: additional downloadable content will be available from launch.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Microsoft has announced that Halo Wars, the upcoming Ensemble-developed Xbox 360 exclusive real-time strategy entry in the million-sellers series, has been delayed by a week from February to an exact date of March 3rd.

It will launch in four days earlier in Japan an Asia on February 26th and a day later in Europe on February 27th. It will also launch in South America as well as North America on March 3rd.

Halo Wars is rated T for Teen and will retail in the U.S. for an MSRP of $60 for the regular edition and $80 for the Halo Wars – Special Edition. The special edition of Halo Wars will include the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack, an extra in-game vehicle called the Honor Guard Wraith, six trading cards describing the game’s leaders, a starship Spirit of Fire crew patch and the Halo Wars: Genesis graphic novel.

Halo Wars is the first real-time strategy title in the series which originally was in development as a real-time strategy game (the original Halo). And like those games it will have troops of the United Naions Space Command (UNSC) facing off against the alien Covenant, a multiracial empire of religious fanatics hell-bent on wiping humanity from the cosmos. The game will feature several units from the Halo series and features an in-depth storyline and weapons, vehicles, music and more from the Halo franchise, including stuff lifted from the Halo novels.

Halo Wars is the final game from developer Ensemble Studios (who also developed the Age of Empire series) which Microsoft is shutting down.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

EA has announced 3 on 3 NHL Arcade, an all-new downloadable hockey game from the EA Sports Freestyle label, developed by EA Canada.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a no-rules barred, fast paced, “hockey experience that gamers of all types can enjoy”. It will be available to download in February of 2009 on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Network for $9.99.

Due to the no-rules play of the game, players can deliver devastating checks to send their opponents flying over the boards, check the goalies and play some arcadey, action focused hockey. Graphically the players have an exaggerated look with 40 of the top NHL stars representing every team. The game even features power-ups that fall down onto the ice and can change the outcome of the game.

There are two different control schemes that players will be able to choose from that will let you pass, shoot, hit and break out all your trick moves with ease, no matter your skill level. There’s also a more advanced “Skill Stick” control scheme taken from NHL 09.

3 On 3 NHL Arcade also has everything players have come to expect from an EA Sports game, including ranked matches, the ability for three players on one console to play three other players online and more.

“Available through a simple digital download, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is perfect for sports fans who want to experience the thrill of NHL hockey at a great value without worrying about the rules of the sport,” said Dave McCarthy, vice president, EA SPORTS. “Accessibility is really important. We have worked to make sure that come February, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a lot of fun for players of all skill levels.”

Source: videogamesblogger.com

A new Ghostbusters: The Video Game trailer along with new screenshots has been released by Atari, who will publish the game on six systems (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC and DS) in 2009. Note that the Wii and PS2 version will feature more cartoony looking graphics and characters due to the lack of HD graphics.

Developed by Terminal Reality, who worked closely with Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Inc., the game will be released to coincide with the 25th anniversary celebration of the original film’s theatrical release with a completely new story that re-unites the original cast members from the film (complete with their voice acting and in-game likeness) in a sequel (Ghostbusters 3, if you will) that seeks to recapture the unique blend of humor, fright and action that established Ghostbusters as one of the most popular and recognizable pop culture sensations in history.

Here is an all-new trailer for the game.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is penned by the original writers of Ghostbusters, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and re-unites the original film’s cast, for the first time in 20 years, in Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson with a storyline that takes place two years after the Ghostbuster II film. The game even features fan favorites such as William Atherton (Walter Peck), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) and Brian Doyle-Muray (Mayor Jock Mulligan).

Sony will also be releasing the two movies on Blu-ray disc for the first time in celebration of it’s anniversary.