The rumor going around about THQ looking to sell to a Chinese investment company and canceling their 2014 lineup is probably true. I mean, how many years can you get by with WWE and Warhammer games being your flagship franchises? It’s a shame really, as I only came to respect THQ in the last year after finally getting around to Darksiders, and thoroughly enjoying WWE All-Stars and Saints Row: The Third. They’re also publishing the Obsidian-developed South Park game which looks fantastic, so hopefully they hold out as long as they can. I really think if they just focused more on what people like and less on collecting IPs to publish and lose money on, THQ could complete the turnaround they started early last year.

For now, revel is the wonder that is the CheapyD homie in Saints Row: The Third.

Dice is not playing around with its first DLC for its big hit Battlefield 3. The promised free expansion that was given to consumers who bought the Special Edition of the game is more than just a map pack. It will give fans of the game 4 new maps, three new vehicles, ten new weapons, five new dog tags, five new achievements/trophies, and lastly a whole new game mode. The game mode while not exactly new, is the return of Conquest Assault which for those not familiar is a hectic version of Conquest. Conquest Assault starts with one team fully in control of every spot immediately putting one team on offensive and the other tasked to defend their territory.

The four “new” maps included in the DLC are re-worked versions of the most popular classic Battlefield maps: Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Sharqui Peninsula, and Wake Island. Each map is re-designed with the new Frostbite 2.0 engine which will leave more buildings to be destroyed and a change up for even those familiar with these maps. Dice has gone back through each of the maps and re-made them to show the wear and tear of all the battles that had played out on them previously. These are war torn places and fans will be surprised to see how much has changed on their favorite battlefields.

“The launch of Battlefield 3 was only the beginning as we vow to keep the game alive with additional content and gameplay improvements in the months ahead. We’re excited to recreate and share some new Battlefield moments on these beloved maps that only Battlefield games can provide,” Says Executive Vice President of the EA Games Label, Patrick Soderlund, adding, “Back to Karkand is another way for us to say thanks to our fans and show our continued support for the game.”

As a fan of the game, Mr. Soderlund, I say “you’re welcome and thank you.” This is big news for anyone who got their hands on the Special Edition of Battlefield 3 and even for those who didn’t. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones, the DLC will only be $14.99 and for all the content provided, the price tag is worth it.

Back to Karkand will be available Tuesday December 6th for PS3 owners. Xbox and PC owners will have to wait a whole extra week when the DLC drops for them on December 13th.

Can't Wait

If you’ve been playing Gears of War 3, you’ve probably noticed that Epic Games has been holding special “Gears Weekend” events for a few months now.  So far, these have been silly limited-time playlists for stuff like “sniper rifles + shotguns only” or “Diggers + shotguns only.” For the most part, they’ve been fun for a few rounds, but a bit too conservative to be worth more than a passing glance.

This changes right goddamn now.  Prepare to have your retinas blown off with sheer awesomeness, because the grown-ass adults who gave us chainsaw-machine guns just woke the hell up.

On Thursday November 24th, Gears of War 3 will introduce the “Thanksgibbing” event.  It’s a King of the Hill–the best mode–playlist where shotguns are replaced with the “Cluckshot”… a rocket launcher that shoots explosive chickens.  Logically.

You can play it by downloading the free “Versus Booster Map Pack.“  This pack features five multiplayer maps:

• Bullet Marsh
• Clocktower
• Azura
• Rustlung
• and Blood Drive

These maps were previously included in the paid “Horde Command Pack, but are now finally available for use in public versus multiplayer.  Don’t whine.  Just download them.  In fact, this is how your face should look as you read this:

So put down the Call of Duty and Battlefield for a bit and play some damn Gears with me.  See more details at Epic’s website.

Sorry to interrupt the “serious cartoon character fight analysis”, but I just got some Man-Grade news that your disappointed fathers would probably want you to hear:

Mortal Kombat has announced its newest downloadable character, and it’s God Damned Freddy Krueger.

Now that is what I’m talking about.  Freddy arrives on the 360 and PS3 marketplaces on August 9^th.  He’ll cost $4.99 or 400 Microsoft points. Mortal Kombat Season Pass members get Freddy free as part of their subscription. Want to see him in action?  Roll that beautiful bean footage:

Anyone who hasn’t torn their shirt in half and begun howling with joy at this news is not welcome in my home.  Obviously, this  leads me to the next burning question… “Where is Jason?”

Look at my references. I'm so witty.

Source: IGN

You have to see this. We knew that Escalation, the next Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC would have a zombie level… but who could have expected this?

Just watch. We’ll talk after.

First of all, credit to Treyarch for making a full-on Grindhouse trailer, complete with the actual announcer from the movie. Second, I thought nothing would top the Bobby Mac Attack. Now we’re getting a veritable dream team of survivors. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Robert Englund (Freddy Damn Krueger), Danny Trejo (Machete) and Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer? I guess we can assume the reference here is that he was on The Walking Dead.)

And hey, who can’t wait to square off against George A. Romero himself? Finally we can put him down so he’ll stop hurting his legacy. Check it out next Tuesday, May 3 on Xbox Live.

Today, Major Nelson officially confirmed the next Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack. This second piece of DLC is called “Escalation” and features 5 new maps: Convoy, Zoo, Stockpile, Hotel, and another zombie map!

The DLC drops on May 3rd for Xbox 360. As usual, PS3 and PC will get the content a bit later. While we don’t have further details, it’s pretty safe to assume that Escalation will be priced similarly to all the other recent Call of Duty DLC.

Image Credit: VG247

This is a great opportunity for Internet people to make those interesting and unique observations we see whenever Call of Duty DLC is announced. Here are some starter examples:

• Anyone who pays $15 for this is part of the problem!
• I’d pay $10 but not $15!
• Wah wah wah wah $15! That’s almost two weeks allowance!

As for me, I’d love it if this ended up costing 10 bucks, but no matter the price I’ll still be buying it immediately because Call of Duty is fun and this will give me more Call of Duty.

[via Major Nelson]

Title: Escalation Map Pack for Black Ops Confirmed for May 3rd
Tags: DLC, Call of Duty, Black Ops, News
Publish Date: (it's news so ASAP)

Today, Major Nelson officially confirmed the next Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack.  This second piece of DLC is called “Escalation” and features 5 new maps:

Convoy
Zoo
Stockpile
Hotel
And another zombie map

[escalation-pic.jpg] (This is taken from VG247 if we want to include that)

The DLC drops on May 3rd for Xbox 360.  As usual, PS3 and PC will get the content a bit later.  While we don’t have further details, it’s pretty safe to assume that Escalation will be priced similarly to all the other recent Call of Duty DLC.

This is a great opportunity for Internet people to make those interesting and unique observations we see whenever Call of Duty DLC is announced.  Here are some starter examples:

-	Anyone who pays 15 is part of the problem!
-	I’d pay 10 but not 15!
-	WAH WAH WAH $15!

As for me, I’d love it if this ended up costing 10 bucks, but no matter the price I’ll still be buying it immediately because Call of Duty is fun and this will give me more Call of Duty. 

[via Joystiq]

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/call-of-duty-black-ops-escalation-dlc-xbox-release-date/

Name: Scott Meaney

Title: Escalation Map Pack for Black Ops Confirmed for May 3rd

Tags: DLC, Call of Duty, Black Ops, News

Publish Date: (it's news so ASAP)

 

Today, Major Nelson officially confirmed the next Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack.  This second piece of DLC is called “Escalation” and features 5 new maps:

 

Convoy

Zoo

Stockpile

Hotel

And another zombie map

 

[escalation-pic.jpg] (This is taken from VG247 if we want to include that)

 

The DLC drops on May 3rd for Xbox 360.  As usual, PS3 and PC will get the content a bit later.  While we don’t have further details, it’s pretty safe to assume that Escalation will be priced similarly to all the other recent Call of Duty DLC.

 

This is a great opportunity for Internet people to make those interesting and unique observations we see whenever Call of Duty DLC is announced.  Here are some starter examples:

 

-	Anyone who pays 15 is part of the problem!

-	I’d pay 10 but not 15!

-	WAH WAH WAH $15!

 

As for me, I’d love it if this ended up costing 10 bucks, but no matter the price I’ll still be buying it immediately because Call of Duty is fun and this will give me more Call of Duty.

 

[via Joystiq]

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/call-of-duty-black-ops-escalation-dlc-xbox-release-date/

Harmonix promised they would release downloadable content for Kinect‘s bestselling game Dance Central soon after its release, and they have followed through. Available as of yesterday, players can go to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and download new tunes. Here is the full list:

• The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
• Cameo – “Word Up!”
• Tag Team – “Whoomp! (There It Is)”
• Lady Sovereign – “I Got You Dancing”
• Ne-Yo – “Because of You”
• Sean Paul – “Temperature”

For a mere 240 Microsoft Points per song, players can jam out to a few awesome songs and one horrible song by the worst band in the entire world (burn for eternity, Black Eyed Peas). You know what? Actually, all of these songs suck. We had to wait for DLC to come out for this game and they’re making us pay per song for some of the worst crap to invade our eardrums. You blew it big time, Harmonix.

Starting today, the all-new Understone Quest Pack for Fable III will be ready to download on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for a mere 400 points. This new pack contains three separate quests that offer more mysteries to solve, houses to be bought, and you know, more kick-ass battles to be won.

The first (and main) quest is called “The Voice.” In it, players explore an entirely new world under Bowerstone called Understone. Evidently, a kooky inventor named Montague Hummes built this town out of fear of the Spire way back in Fable II. It is the player’s job to find out the origins of the disembodied voice that controls the citizens of Understone, and maybe they’ll also figure out how one guy built an entire town underground and nobody really noticed. Of course, this being part of the Fable series, there is a moral decision contained in this quest that results in one of two different outcomes for the people of Understone. I hope one of them is genocide, that’s all I’m saying.

The next quest is called “The Shooting Range” and sounds just about as dull as the title. After defeating Saker, the remaining Mercenaries have arbitrarily decided to turn their camp into a tourist attraction where much shooting and ranging will be had. There are a few other mini-games, but the real action is earning points and prizes at the namesake event. Players can beat high scores and earn the Marksman 500, Money Shot, and Black Dragon prizes that can be used in-game. Exciting.

The final quest is called “The Wheel of Misfortune,” in which the character of Reaver starts a new business setting up arena challenges for wannabe heroes. Here, players again beat high scores to unlock three new weapons that can be used in-game: The Full Monty, Dirty Harriet, and Dead Ned’s Revolver. The arena challenges of Fable have always been my least favorite part of the game, so this section will likely never see the light of day in my house.

In another bit of good news, a general Title Update will be coming soon for Fable III, and it will fix any pesky problems such as spawning issues, corrupted game saves, and map, audio, and frame rate functionality. For a detailed list of fixes, go here.

The eponymous tomb-raiding sexpot is back in Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ newest release: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. The most recent installation of everyone’s favorite scantily-clad grave robber was announced back in August for XBLA (late September for the PS3 and PC) and just today is receiving its first major title update and free DLC. And who doesn’t want some extra booty to pillage, booby traps to spring and beautiful British backsides in their lives? I know I do.

Wait, what was I talking about…?

With new areas to explore, artifacts to collect, and ancient mythological gods to kill, LC: GoL gets down and dirty with the new DLC. The Download Pack titled, ‘All the Trappings’ really gives a much-needed jumpstart to the slacking sales of the XBLA game. And as a sign of good faith, or at least good PR, for the next 30 days the DLC is available for free on XBL Marketplace. (For all of you anti-Microsoft types out there, don’t fret; ‘All the Trappings’ should be coming to both the PC and PS3 sometime in November.)

The DLC features a whole new level to conquer, new puzzles to decipher and tons more ancient evil ass to kick. Online co-op gaming has also been added, which frankly should have been available from the start, but wasn’t because the developers were rushing to get the game released under Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade banner.

The Tomb Raider games have always been fun to play and despite the change of gameplay from third person to an isometric camera view, Lara is still looking good in those short shorts and tight-fitting tank top. So go download Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light tonight and play it with a friend, or play with yourself, but take it from me, doing it with a friend is much more fun than flying solo.

I told you not to bother me when I’m cleaning my tomb.

Rockstar Games recently announced that their newest downloadable content for Red Dead Redemption is now available for purchase for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 all over North America and Europe. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Pack is the fourth in a series of DLC packs for Red Dead, following Liars and Cheats, Legends and Killers, and Outlaws to the End. What sets this latest content apart is the addition of the number one super coolest element in the world: zombies.

Is anyone else crying right now? No? Ok, I’ll move on.

Rockstar didn’t just put zombie skins onto the regular background characters of Red Dead and call it a day; they designed a completely zombie-filled open world with all-new missions, weapons, mechanics and modes. Here are the new features:

• A new storyline in single-player mode – John Marston must find a cure for the zombie outbreak (evidently ranchers with a shady background would be the obvious choice to save humanity).
• Undead Overrun Co-Operative Multiplayer Mode – up to 4 players see how long they can last against wave after wave of zombies.
• Different types of zombies, such as Bolters, Bruisers and Retchers (sounds disgusting/amazing).
• New weapons, such as the Blunderbuss, a shotgun that uses actual parts of zombies for ammo (!!!), a torch, Holy Water, and Boom Bait, used to lure the undead to their death. Again.
• A truly open world experience full of infected animals, mythical creatures, and new challenges such as Missing Persons, where players must find a lone survivor amidst throngs of zombies.

I’m a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption, but my main problem has been that once the game was over, I was left with the most boring multiplayer in the world. I haven’t gotten any of the other DLC packs, either, seeing as how they just looked like more of the same game, but now….

Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!

It’s the open world element that excites me the most! How I long for my character to ride his horse through town, only to be taken down by the Hendersons, a Mormon family of five with brains on their, uh, brains. (Sidenote: yes, I come up with storylines for the tertiary characters in video games. What of it?) I was getting tired of blowing peoples’ faces off with the sawed-off shotgun, but now I can use those face-bits to load my Blunderbuss full of dangerous, infected ammo. Packs of wild, zombiefied dogs will roam the streets, controlling major cities. See, there’s something for everyone. Or just me. While I evaluate why brain is so sick and twisted, you can download Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Pack for PS3 ($9.99) and for Xbox 360 (800 Microsoft points). If that’s not enough for you, for the first time, Rockstar is releasing Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, an all-new disc that bundles all four of the aforementioned packs released to date. It does not require the original Red Dead Redemption to play, and is only $29.99. Check out some pretty awesome trailers here.

Activision unveiled its all-new DLC for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Players will receive one unique Cosmic Costume for each of the four worlds in the game: Amazing, Noir, 2099 and Ultimate. On top of the new costumes, they are also getting an original signature charge attack.

I understand how new moves could be exciting; this Spider-Man game does step out of its shell with the fighting engine and gives a lot more variety of styles. What the game is spending too much time on is Spider-Man dress up. I understand that Spider-Man has several different looks, most of which are pretty bad ass, but they have met the point where too many different looks makes the player just wonder why this isn’t a large scale Marvel game with character customization. If I wanted my Spider-Man to be better than yours, it would be; I could teach you how, but I’d have to charge. I do understand that the new costumes grant the ability of these signature moves, which may give more of a replay factor to the game.

After beating a game you usually get access to something nifty, like a weapon with unlimited ammo. These new costumes do seem nifty, but your hard work doesn’t pay off – you just have to pay and the costumes are yours. I believe that cosmetic upgrades and unlockables should be achieved, not purchased. Unless of course, this were based on some in-game system with points of experience or collecting. I am not trying to demean the new DLC here; I do appreciate DLC in all games, whether it be big or small.  Shattered Dimensions could have figured out clever ways to work in these little upgrades into the game, possibly through some special side quest or achievement reward.

In any case, the downloadable content is available now from Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The PlayStation® Store will have it available next week. Hopefully you will wanted to give Shattered Dimensions another go with these new suits, because the game is very enjoyable whether you’re a Spidey fan or not.

Players of Koji Igarashi’s Castlevania: Harmony of Despair have been blessed (sorry, Dracula) with a new map available for download on XBLA, the first of many that are supposedly planned. The new chapter, entitled “Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire,” takes vampire slaying veterans Alucard, Soma, Jonathan, Shanoa, and Charlotte to the psychedelic ruins of the ancient Egyptian pyramids, complete with new foes and enemies ready to be humiliated. The chapter also adds the femme fatale boss, Ashtarte, intent on moving through the map and ripping your face off.

This also puts us closer to the release of new downloadable characters for the game, so keep your eyes open for that release in the (hopefully) near future. The DLC is available now on Xbox Live Arcade for a very worthwhile 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

Taking careful note of the echo that made last week’s podcast damn near un-listenable, we moved the show to a more traditional Skype setting.  This week we’re joined by the forums’ own pnusbals, to discuss everything to the joys of stalking Molly, to Vindictus (the new obsession of GolgoHouse).  You know the drill, click the links below…  if you dare!

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From German game developer Z-Software comes Fruitbash, a match-3 puzzle game that wins the award for “Most Dubious Title for a Video Game EVER”.  Much like Bejeweled and Jewel Quest, Fruitbash involves a puzzle-grid wherein various items are laid out for the player to then match in rows of three.  The matching group then disappears (in this case, they’re “bashed”) and a new grouping of items appears and the whole shebang starts all over again until the desired number of points is reached.

Personally, I’ve never found this genre to be very interesting, and in fact, the only match-3 I like is a mini-game in Plants vs. Zombies called “Beghouled”.  Nevertheless, these kind of games are wildly popular for players of all ages because they are easy to learn, easily accessed (most are free, if not close to it), and are true casual games in that they don’t require a long-term time commitment.  However, some people find them quite addictive, and spend hours downloading them or playing them on free gaming websites, leaving their PCs at risk for malware.

As much as I like “Beghouled”, I wouldn’t play another match-3 because they’re all, I don’t know, the same goddamn game.  Just because the items you’re matching are different game-to-game, this does not a fresh gaming experience make.  It’s like making 40 duplicates of Super Mario Bros, but with names like The Pretty Cool Peterson Cousins or Wowza, It’s the Riccoco Boys!  I don’t care if there are different variations in each game, like matching them with a clockwise twist or collecting the items to create a heart of unity or whatever, it’s the same game.  The object is to match 3 items.  Beyond that, you really don’t need all the extra stuff.

On the other hand, Fruitbash does offer 20 missions and 5 challenges, as well as multiplayer mode for up to 4 players with avatar support.  Playing against your friends can make any game exponentially more fun (have you tried playing checkers alone? My point, exactly).  That alone is intriguing, as I am competitive to the point of experiencing rage-blackouts when I lose a game.  I’m glad to see that rather than produce another stale title of the puzzle game variety, Z-Software has wisely opted to reach out to a whole new base of gamers, that being the online gaming community.  Soon, Fruitbash will be found on the Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace for a mere 80 points.  With prices this low, how can you not resist embarrassing your friends at a game that could alternately be called Gallagher’s Wet Dream?

Another Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions alternate costume vignette debuted this week and it’s really driving home how far Activision will stretch this franchise for pre-order fodder. In addition to the four distinct comic worlds you get to explore as their respective Spider-Man identities, there are four pre-order costumes (along with their alternate dimension counterparts) that allow you to take your love for Spidey to the next level.

The latest gameplay trailer shows off Negative Zone Spider-Man. The costume is based on an obscure arc where Spider-Man borrows his threads from a dissident named Dusk to fight crime in the Negative Zone. The Negative Zone is an opposite day alternate version of our universe. It’s composed of anti-matter, negatively charged inhabitants, and a central gravitational core that skews perception to visitors. Spidey kept the suit upon returning to his normal universe and used it to stay incognito when on the outs with the city. The suit supposedly grants him invisibility, but it’s unclear if it will alter game play from the Noir suit in Shattered Dimensions.

The other pre-order suits include Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man 2099 a.k.a. Iron Spider-Man, and Cosmic Spider-Man. Although rumored to be permanently exclusive to pre-orders, they’ll all most likely appear as DLC at some point and join the other alternate costumes, Spider-Armor and Mangaverse Spider-Man, already revealed as in-game unlockables.

Shattered Dimensions is the next in the series after Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, which was met with very mixed reviews. I personally enjoyed it and played through a few times as the original and black suit versions. The game play was much deeper than previous titles in the series, and showed a real effort on the part of developers to give players a sense for Spidey’s fighting acumen. Shattered Dimensions designers have said this title is designed to pull back the repetitive nature of combat and break the better aspects of the system into separate contexts to keep the player guessing and keep game play fresh and exciting.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is scheduled to ship September 7, 2010, so get out there and pre-order it or face a lifetime of regret for missing out on playing as 80′s jazzercise Spider-Man!

New details have emerged on the DLC that will be available on September 21st of this year for Rockstar’s widely popular Old Western-style sandbox title called Red Dead Redemption (I’m going to assume you’ve heard of it).  And lucky you, I’m here to tell you about it!

First off, the DLC will be called the “Liars & Cheats Pack”, and will be focusing mostly on the expansion of the free roam games already available within the RDR world.  In addition to adding online multiplayer functionalities to many of the games-within-the-game, content that was previously announced in the “Free Roam Pack” will be bundled with this DLC (which, interestingly enough, the “Free Roam Pack” was originally announced as free add-on content, but had to be included in a paid add-on pack, due to restrictions of how much free DLC can be handed out for no monies).

So without further ado, here’s what is included in on the new “Liars & Cheats Pack”, available once again on September 21st:

Multiplayer Poker & Liars’ Dice – Now you never have to leave your home to see your friends…  Why have a card night with the guys when you can just veg out on your couch in your underwear and play poker over X-box Live or PSN?

Multiplayer Horse Races – This one seems a little better fitting for DLC.  It makes sense to have a multiplayer racing game added to a sandbox title (it does, at least, if you’ve ever played a GTA title in your life).

The Explosive Rifle – This is a weapon being added to the game, which will include both single and multiplayer challenges.

New Gang Hideouts – 7, count ‘em, 7 of them.  Grab your posse and level up.  Be selfish and blow away anyone who dares try to steal your hideout from you.

4 New Hunting Grounds – These will be visible for everyone to see, where you can go out and kill animals and skin them and eat them and do whatever else you want with them, so you don’t have to go out and do this IRL.

Stronghold Competitive Multiplayer Mode – Take turns attacking and defending in competitive gaming…  Again, this is stuff that’s standard and seems like it should’ve been included as original content when the game was initially released.  But what do I know?

In addition to all of these tasty updates, 15 more characters will be made available from RDR as multiplayer characters, and you can bet your sweet bippy that new Achievements and Trophies will be included as well.  So if you enjoyed Red Dead Redemption and would like to continue living vicariously through John Marston as a rough and tough Old Western outlaw, I’d recommend purchasing this DLC for 800 Microsoft Points, or $9.99 on the PSN in September.

We got the mega exclusive with this one.  A source on the inside has leaked 5 brand new Super Street Fighter IV DLC characters.  Currently there is no known release date for these guys, but something tells me we will be seeing them sooner rather than later…

RufussTed – One of the most annoying characters in the game. His moves mainly consist of kicks to the groin. If you win a round against this character, RufussTed will argue with your gaming system until it gives up and either red rings or gives him the win.

Sakory – Harnessing all the rage and zeal of a 10 year-old Japanese girl born as a 26-year-old American man, Sakory is not a character to be taken lightly. Sakory’s super combo is actually a faux-hawk power-up. I use the term power-up loosely because it has the same effect as Guile’s aviators.

Jorge Li – This one just looked funny to me.

Sery – This character has every other character’s moves in the game, but only one input command. When the command is input, a random move from a random character is thrown.

Belanka – Greatest character of all time next to Jeffrey Lebowski. This character has some of the best moves in the game including one called “elbow deep”. His super combo summons a goat named Gus to attack his opponent, knocking them down, and robbing them of their dignity.

After a healthy amount of press coverage, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption DLC “Legends and Outlaws” is upon us.  For those of you that are still playing the hell out of the insanely fun, occasionally funky multiplayer game, you’re in for a real treat.  Rockstar has put together a pretty well-rounded multiplayer package that will add a good chunk of play time to the online offering, while also bringing back some old faces for those of you, like me, who were bummed out that there was not enough Red Dead Revolver characters.

Available for: Xbox 360/ Playstation 3
Price: $9.99 (PSN) / 800 Microsoft Points (XBL)

The Legends and Outlaws pack is a multiplayer focused  “map” pack with slew of extras tossed in.  It comes hot on the heels of a recent multiplayer patch which smoothed out some of the game’s online modes, fixing various glitches and network hiccups and implementing some “anti-griefing” measures.  Read Dead Redemption has had very strong support from Rockstar with free multiplayer challenges and cooperative missions added (“Out Laws to the End” DLC), as well as various issues with the online mode which have been meticulously ironed out (for the most part).   In addition to this DLC, Rockstar has already announced a few more DLC packs, “Liars and Cheats”, “Free Roam” and “Undead Nightmare” which, once released, will add various activities like poker, Liars Dice, horse racing, ghost towns, weapons, animals and associated challenges/achievements, which will situate Red Dead Redemption’s already robust online multiplayer mode as a proverbial grab-bag of cohesive game modes and single/multiplayer activities.

Legends and Outlaws expands the size of the multiplayer world by adding 9 extra sections to the already large (and ominously empty feeling) online world.  Certain sections in the single player mode that are not available in the multiplayer mode are included here, and behave just like the other sections of the world in that they expand the terrain and behave as a hub for starting multiplayer games and activities.  There are 9 new sections included with the DLC, all of which support various game types and range from large, open landscapes to the more intricate town areas with various hiding spots.

In addition to the new map sections, the DLC includes 8 new multiplayer skins, all of which are updated versions of popular characters from Red Dead Revolver.

From Rockstar’s site:  Red Harlow

“With his family slaughtered by bandits and left for dead when he was a young boy, Red Harlow now prowls the open frontier as a bounty hunter, bringing justice to wicked bandits, while desperate to unravel the identity of his family’s killers.”

Red is back, and honestly, I liked the quiet ass kicking spaghetti western vibe he oozed in Red Dead Revolver, I was hoping to run into the character in game as some sort of Easter egg, but good enough.

From Rockstar’s Site: Jack Swift

“Jack Swift is an English gentleman and trick shooting ace who heads out West to join the circus as a sharpshooter, with his dual revolvers “The Showstoppers” in tow.”

Red Dead Revolver let you play as multiple characters, each with different play styles.  In Jack’s case, he was a trick shooter who carried 2 guns at once.  It was different enough to make it really fun and seriously, look at that sweet ass ‘stache…  Were this a Paper Mario game I’d give him discounts on badges and whatnot. 

From Rockstar’s site: Annie Stoakes

“In the rugged Western frontier, staking your claim means being prepared for more than just hard work.   Cattle rancher Annie Stoakes knows this, which is why in addition to working a small plot of land outside of Brimstone, she’s a crack shot with “Faith” – her affectionately named repeater rifle.”

Dammit, This is what I mean…  She named her rifle Faith.  I like the Characters in Red Dead Revolver more.  There, I said it.  It’s the little things, Rockstar…

From Rockstar’s site: Shadow Wolf

“An Indian scout and member of the Red Wolf Tribe, Shadow Wolf is also Red Harlow’s cousin, and like Red, must face his own challenges in the Wild West and either find his place amongst his tribe, or outside it.”

In Red Dead Revolver Shadow Wolf used a Bow and Arrow and again, the game played differently.  The constant changing of characters in RDR actually worked, all of them were fun and they all came together at the end for a climactic finish.

From Rockstar: Buffalo Soldier

“A soldier in the U.S. Army, Buffalo was captured by the ruthless Mexican General Javier Diego and forced to work in the gold mine at Bear Mountain.   In Red Dead Revolver, he meets Red Harlow after Red is also captured by Diego, and together they both escape with the help of Shadow Wolf.”

Another playable character in Red Dead Revolver.  All the characters had special powers like Dead Eye, only they were catered to them.  In the multiplayer modes, each character in the game had different super moves, like a freaking fighting game.  There was  normal stuff like rapid pistol fanning to cool stuff like super multiple knife throwing, to silly stuff like the ultimate stop -> drop -> roll -> shoot technique.  Red Dead Revolver’s multiplayer was hot shit AND you didn’t get stuck on doors…

And the Bad guys….

From Rockstar: Mr. Kelley

“The 3-time champion of the annual Brimstone Battle Royale dueling competition, the well-dressed Mr. Kelley is known throughout Brimstone for his prowess both at the poker table and with a six shooter.”

I’ll get this out of the way: Red Dead Revolver took all the cool and silly stuff from spaghetti westerns and tossed them in  a blender, you can find homages to lots of great (and silly) western films, Mr. Kelly is part of the Quick and the Dead stuff, and it was good.  There was a big gun dueling tournament that you played throughout the main game, and Mr. Kelly was supposed to be the best.  He was a bad ass, till I blasted a trench through his brain bucket.  Seriously, on very hard mode, it was one of the few times a game actually made me feel like a bona fide bad ass.   BONA FIDE!

From Rockstar: Ugly Chris

“Not much is known about the leader of the Ugly Gang.   One of the most ruthless men in the West, his gang is known to invade towns with weak lawmen and plunder whatever is of value.”

One of the gang leaders from the first game.  A bounty you accept early in the game.  I am sure there is a group of people who, like me,  that are convinced Red Dead Revolver was one of the best titles released in that generation, not because it was this big budget title, or because it got everything right.  Revolver was just really fun and well designed both technically and aesthetically, what it did it did well, a great blend of 3D action and,  a fun story, skill based game play,  interesting boss fights and item collecting.  Also, one of the best game soundtracks ever.  For realsies, look it up.  Skins for characters like Ugly Chris, (EVERY character in the game had a name by the way) this kind of fan service is for us…  All 3 of us.

From Rockstar: Pig Josh

“A rotund demolition expert with more than a few swine-like traits, Pig Josh enjoys traveling from town to town along with his “troupe”, demonstrating his talents with dynamite.”

One of the boss fights in Red Dead Revolver, Pig Josh is part of a traveling sideshow that causes trouble in the original game.  You track him down and fight him in a deserted town and shoot up his clown midgets.  Yeah, clown midgets.

Last but not least, the DLC adds a new hatchet weapon which also behaves like the throwing knife, only stronger.  It has its own achievements and can also be used in the single player game.

And here is the trailer in the event you haven’t had a chance to see it.  Good presentation, overall.

If you like the online portion of Red Dead Redemption, this DLC seems like a no-brainer.  It adds a lot of area to explore and play in and gives you more skins to run around as.  And remember, themed posses are always awesome…

First of all, let me point out that I am very excited for Dragon Age and can’t wait to play it. Secondly, let me tell you that this is the most ridiculous news that I have heard in a while. BioWare has decided to have not one, not two, but three different DLC packs available on day one.

The first DLC is titled Warden’s Keep and will sell for 560 Microsoft Points ($7) which will add a new quest, several new abilities and items as well as a market area. The second DLC is titled The Stone Prisoner and will be free to players that purchase the game new but will cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) to anybody else. The Stone Prisoner is a character that will be unlocked at the beginning of the game as a party member. The last piece of DLC is also free and only available with new copies of the game which provides you with some really kick-ass Blood Dragon Armor in both Dragon Age as well as Mass Effect 2.

Let me start with the last bit of DLC and work my way to the first. The Blood Dragon Armor is fucking awesome. It is great that they would add something like this into not only Dragon Age but also Mass Effect 2. It is like a nice little present to everybody who buys the game new and in no way does a single piece of armor effect the overall game. Kudos to BioWare for Blood Armor.

The Stone Prisoner DLC gives me very mixed feelings. From a business point of view, I can understand where BioWare is coming from. They want to encourage new video game sales by charging $15 for a part of the game that you would otherwise get for free. My major complaint about this is that it seems like they are taking a full game and cutting part of it out and only giving it back to new game purchasers, or over charging for it. My second major complaint is that I believe that people shouldn’t be required to connect to LIVE in order to get the full video game that they paid for.

And last but not least, the Warden’s Keep DLC. This shit pisses me off so much I’m not even sure where to begin. I don’t know if this was BioWare’s idea or if it is something that EA is making them do but it is unacceptable. If there is game content that is done and ready to ship with the game, then you better fucking ship that content with the game, ON THE FUCKING DISC.

This is exactly what Alon predicted several years ago and I disagreed with him. I guess I was wrong, and sadly so. This is just completely unacceptable from a developer like BioWare which I consider to be one of the best in the industry. The whole thing just seems like they are trying to fuck more money out of the customer and it is completely inappropriate.

I don’t know how much more I can describe how much this news has pissed me off. The strictly paid DLC is completely retarded and I am on the fence about new copies of the game receiving free DLC. At the end of the day I would really like to hear from somebody at BioWare to figure out what their rationale behind these decisions was.

[via BioWare]