Bioshock Infinite release date set for October
Put that Little Sister down, get those bees back in your arm and ready your skyhook, one of this year’s most exciting games now has a release date. 2K say that Bioshock Infinite be out on October 16 in the US, and October 19 in Europe. We’ll leave Rapture’s damp, mouldy dungeons and take to the skies in the flying city of Colombia. Infinite will be brighter and less lonely than the original, but just as dangerous. As Pinkerton agent, Booker DeWitt, you’ll be trying to protect your companion, Elizabeth, from the Songbird, an enormous evil robot crow. He’s scary. Find out why in the E3 2011 trailer above.
Irrational recently revealed 1999 mode, an advanced difficulty mode that will offer scarcer resources and more meaningful levelling choices. That’s just one of the reasons Bioshock Infinite is one of our games of 2012. We’ll get to see if it can live up to the hype in October, which feels very, very far away right now.
Borderlands 2 release date set for September, trailer fuses joy and pain into new emotion
I’m not sure if humanity has yet invented a unit capable of measuring the kind of manic, gun-loving hysteria exploding out of every frame of the new Borderlands 2 trailer on RPS. It’s possible that language alone can’t contain this amount of concentrated wub wub in one place, which explains the appearance of words like “bazilliondier” and expressions like “get read to joy puke your face off.”
Between the beats there’s mention of a September 18 release date. That’s for the US, the Borderlands 2 site says that it’ll be released internationally on September 21. If the concentrated, brilliant mind-bludgeoning above has rewired your brain into a state in which you must buy Borderlands 2 now or explode, there are various pre-order options advertised on the Borderlands 2 site. A refined, expanded version of the first game would do very nicely indeed.
Darksiders 2 release date set for summer, preorder bonuses abound
We’ll be donning death’s gloomy robes in the height of summer this year when Darksiders 2 hits shelves on June 26 in the US and June 29 in Europe. If you enjoyed the decent monster mashing of the first game, and are dead set on picking up the second, you’ll soon be able to preorder to get access to a variety of packs, some of which are much better than others. Anyone want a set of angelic scythes? How about an “exclusive visual trail” for your crow? Anyone? Hello?
Max Payne 3 screenshots cause collateral damage
Cool guys don’t look at explosions, or the pedestrians who happen to get caught up in them. “I’m a successful main character in a major action franchise. What of it?” says the expression on Max Payne’s face. They were just going to their nearest internet cafe to look at screenshots of you, Max. They just wanted to see their favourite action hero not looking at explosions, now it is they who are not looking at explosions, because they are dead. YOU MONSTER.
Still it’s nice to see Payne’s back in his leather trench coat, shirt and tie combo. That’s Classic Max chic. He’s joined by his two other styles, Grizzly Commander Riker chic and Breaking Bad chic, in the new screenshots below.
Spec Ops: The Line preview
Have there really been nine Spec Ops games?! Forgive me, but I haven’t played any of them, so Spec Ops: The Line was barely on my radar. And while I doubt that many of you were hankering for another modern military shooter, and yes, the franchise is a rather bizarre pedigree for a big publisher like 2K to resurrect, the results pretty much set my brain on fire. That has nothing to do with low expectations, either—Spec Ops: The Line is easily the freshest, boldest approach to a military shooter since Call of Duty went annual. There were two giant takeaways from my lengthy demo worth highlighting, the heaviest of which I’ll save for last.
Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai release date set
March 23 is the release date for Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai, the enticing standalone expansion to Shogun 2.
Fall of the Samurai introduces six new factions to do battle for an expanded campaign map portraying ancient Japan on the verge of an age of transition. Western weaponry is being imported in greater numbers, and factions within Japan are seeking to use them to overthrow the ancient Shogunate using the muskets and massive cannons provided by imperial forces.
The expansion will add new tech trees, ground units, naval units and agents as well. You can find out more in our great big preview in the latest issue of PC Gamer UK, which you can order now online, or get digitally through Zinio or Apple Newsstand.
Aliens: Colonial Marines delayed until Autumn
Aliens: Colonial Marines has been delayed from Spring this year, to Autumn. The darker months of late 2012 will better suit the co-op shooter, which was announced several millennia ago, shortly after the birth of the universe.
SEGA explain the delay over on Edge, saying that the process of making a game about shooting aliens in the face is “a process of creativity and invention” that doesn’t “necessarily follow the structure of an assembly line.”
Muster the Rohirrim! Lord of the Rings Online rides to Rohan
Fresh off the heals of the Lord of the Rings Online expansion that pit us against Saruman, Rise of Isengard, players will finally get to take their first step in the realm of Theoden himself, Rohan! I sat down with the game’s executive producer, Kate Paiz, to hear all about the new content, gameplay mechanics and adventure coming to ring-chasers this Fall.
League of Legends’ AI bots multiply, get smarter, and move to Dominion [Hands-on]
I ran out of my spawn area on League of Legends’ Dominion map and made a move for the nearest capture-point, which an enemy Sona was stealing from us. I was confident I could take the flimsy healer and reclaim our home point, but before I can get in range, a burst of flames erupts around me and burning-man Brand bursts from the bushes. He’s now pacing side-to-side between me and Sona, tossing out flames if I get close, but stubbornly refusing to let me drag him off point, where I could safely kill him.
Now, Brand running interference on a point in Dominion isn’t that unusual—but this Brand is a bot, and he’s ruining my day, courtesy of the improved AI and bot rosters being added to League of Legends in the next few weeks.
Max Payne 3 release date pushed back to May
Rockstar have announced that they’re pushing back the release date for Max Payne 3 from March to May 29 in the US and June 1 internationally. “We do not take changes to our release schedule lightly,” said Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in a statement. “This short delay will ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality, groundbreaking entertainment experience that is expected from our Company.”
Maybe Take-Two are taking the time to polish Max Payne 3′s multiplayer mode, new territory for a series that’s so far been entirely obsessed with the life and times of its gurning protagonist. The third Max Payne looks like it’ll try to merge the shadowy film noir stylings of the first two games with the sun-baked slums of Brazil, and will be bringing some of Rockstar’s impressive animation technology to Max’s graceful dives. See some of that animation in action in this Max Payne 3 trailer. Check out our Max Payne 3 preview for more information on Max’s latest adventure.
Jagged Alliance: Back in Action release date announced
The new Jagged Alliance game, Back in Action is due to arrive on February 10 in Europe, and February 14 in the US. A new Jagged Alliance: Back in Action trailer has appeared as well.The new Jagged Alliance will show all of your orders unfolding at once, a la Frozen Synapse, a slightly snappier version of the traditional turn-based model which would have your soldiers taking their turns individually while the rest of the battlefield remains locked in stasis.
The Old Republic tries out survival-horror with its next endgame Flashpoint, Kaon Under Siege
It’s easy to forget that the world of Star Wars is filled with dirty, scary places–it’s not all Gungan cities and Ewok campfires. BioWare’s tapping into this darker side of Star Wars in the first Flashpoint added to The Old Republic after its launch, in the big Rise of the Rakghouls update coming on January 17th. It looks spooky, frantic, and – most importantly – will feature a full story with group choices and consequences, much like the game’s first two Flashpoints: Black Talon and Esseles.
Plantronics reveals GameCom 780 7.1 headsets/GameCom 380 headsets
Plantronics met with PC Gamer today to talk about their new headsets, the USB 7.1 Dolby Pro Logic II GameCom 780 (and their lower-priced stereo GameCom 380, with analog jacks rather than USB). The 780 and 380 are both set for US release on January 15th. At launch, they’ll be available at retail in Best Buy stores nationwide, or—if you prefer shopping via mouse and keyboard—you can snag ‘em online through Plantronics.com/us or Amazon.com. The 780 will set you back 80 clams, while the 380 will cost you $50. Read on for more details!
Playing with time travel, tesla coils, and mini-helicopters in DC Universe Online’s new update
Let’s get this out of the way up front: yes, the Flash has a ridiculous contraption called the Cosmic Treadmill that he runs on to somehow transport people back in time. It’s weird, it’s goofy, and it’s going to provide some of the coolest gameplay moments of any superhero game ever.
How can a treadmill of the cosmos possibly provide such mind-blowing gameplay experiences? Well, just think of the most memorable, awesome events in DC comic history. Now, imagine getting to play out all of those events and see them unfold first-hand. That’s the power of the Cosmic Treadmill, my friend.
We sat down with DC Universe Online‘s Creative Director Jens Andersen, who walked us through all of the content in the big Flash-themed update releasing next Tuesday, and teased us about his big plans for the future, including revisiting the origin stories of DC’s biggest villains and heroes.
Gotham City Impostors release date set for January 2012
Gotham City Impostors is a multiplayer shooter in which gangs of amateurs dress up as poorly conceived and possibly drunk versions of their favourite DC superheroes and villains to do battle. The idea is that they’re ordinary people with ordinary lives looking to vent their frustrations in combat. Fights take place in hastily knocked up arenas based on famous Batman locations, but only when the superheroes are off saving lives in another part of town.
Gotham City Impostors now has a release date, January 10 next year, when it’ll be available as a download title only. Find out more on the Gotham City Impostors site.
