Available for pre-order today comes the Halo 4 Limited Edition, packed with additional content to maximise your multiplayer experience, the Limited Edition will surely drop the jaws of many Halo fans.

Denouncing a Legendary Edition for the game, 343 explained that their main focus was on one special edition, rather than multiple editions. The reason for that is to give gamers an easier choice when buying the game. Do players want the stand-alone game, or the game plus a large handful of goodies?

Encased in a UNSC themed box, the Limited Edition comes with a whole lot of additions mainly for Infinity, the name of Halo 4′s Multiplayer experience. These Include:

War Games DLC Map Pack Access

Presumably a season pass to Halo 4 DLC Maps, this pass will give players access to 9 multiplayer maps (3 future multiplayer map packs), showing off new locations in the Halo universe.

Specializations

Unlocking new customisable options for your in-game Spartan, everyone will be able to access specializaions, but for those purchasing the Limited Edition, 6 specializations will be given to you early, giving you a head start for War Games. More information about specializations will be announced at E3, but it looks to me as if they act as ‘perks’ for your loadout, giving your spartan more ammo clips, or an extra grenade, changing up the gameplay.

UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet

Much like Halsey’s Diary in the Halo Reach Limited Edition, Halo 4 Limited edition will also include a packet/book of information based on the Halo universe, including Spartan armor customization schematics, information about UNSC weapons, an introduction to the UNSC Infinity, and an insight into the Spartan-IV program. Fans of the Halo story will especially enjoy this packet of informaion that provides ‘a glimpse into the indoctrination of Spartans aboard the Infinity’.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition

Recently announced Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn live action series, will be included in this edition of Halo 4 with additional scenes and special features. This live action series will take fans back to the Human/Covenant war, where Master Chief inspires a young cadet, who eventually becomes the leader aboard the largest UNSC vessel, Infinity

Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE

The Limited Edition also includes:

• A unique in-game Spartan-IV armor skin
• A unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle, yes! weapons skins/ customisation is confirmed, I’m assuming it will follow similarly to Gears of War 3′s weapon skins.
• An exclusive in-game Emblem
• Xbox LIVE Avatar Prop
• Xbox LIVE Avatar Spartan IV armor set.

The Standard and Limited editions are available for pre-order today, Halo 4 will be released worldwide on November 6th. Are you guys excited?

Confirmed by Franchise Development Director, Frank O’Connor, this will be the box art for Halo 4. The image shows Master Chief crouching next to what is left of the UNSC frigate, Forward Unto Dawn, and behind is the entrance to the shield world Requiem.

Also in recent news, images were leaked showing off some of the new toys from the Halo franchise, two of these figures were completely new and could be seen as the new enemies or wildlife in Halo 4. Dubbed the “Crawler” and “Watcher“, these figures give us an insight on the threats that we may encounter on Requiem, as well as the new gameplay that these ‘enemies’ may bring to the game. With the crawler looking to be a vicious canine-like enemy, and the watcher, possibly similar to the covenant Drone and may alert others of your position, these enemies are an interesting addition to Halo 4′s line-up of characters.

Along with these two new enemies, figures of Master Chief, an Elite Zealot, a Grunt Storm, and Spartan Warrior were shown. The toy box art also hints a “Deluxe boxed figure of an enemy unlike anything before!“, hopefully this new enemy will make an appearance at this year’s E3, along with more features of the game. Halo 4 will be released on November 6th by developers 343 Industries, and will be the start of a whole new Halo trilogy.

It’s crunch time for 343 Industries, and with about seven or so months left until its Holiday 2012 release, there is an increase of Halo 4 information surfacing the web recently. GameInformer Magazine’s May issue not only has a Halo 4 cover but also includes 14 pages of Halo 4 epicness which digs into Halo 4′s Campaign and Multiplayer experience (now named ‘Infinity’).
(Screenshots included in Gallery)

From all this new information, Halo fans everywhere are starting to wonder, ‘is 343 headed the right way?’ With inclusions such as Armor Abilities, Customizable Loadouts, Spartan Points, Spartan Ops and other Multiplayer features, Halo 4 is looking to be a very busy game. Whether it’s playing multiplayer to upgrade your Spartan IV, working co-operatively on Spartan Ops missions, and of course playing the Campaign as Master Chief by yourself or with friends, 343 Industries have been working hard to finish the game. Hopefully we can get some more snippets of the game before E3 2012, this game is looking to be really interesting.

Stay tuned for a detailed discussion of the new Halo 4 information with myself, Adrian Cajili and Ashton Bernard coming on later in the week, as we discuss the new features in Multiplayer as well as looking at some of the issues that may arise in Halo 4.

The Alpha build of the menus include dark and gloomy shades which can reflect on the story and how the campaign is going to be full of mystery and darkness. One element in the Start menu that catches my eye is the background, why is Auntie Dot, the AI from Reach, in the background?

From the next Image, it could be assumed that Single Player, as well as Multiplayer, was discussed at the showcase, perhaps some information about the Chief’s new armor change, or some new multiplayer game modes?

Not much vital information has been released by 343 Industries in the past few months about their new title, but it has been announced that the media embargo ends on March 5th, and we will be getting a NEW Halo 4 Trailer (Finally!), as well as new information on Microsoft’s new console Codenamed ‘Durango’ as well as new games coming out later on in the year like Star Wars Kinect, Fable: The Journey, Gears of War: Exile.

Hopefully the wait on the new Halo 4 Trailer will be worth it, seeing as though we have been waiting too long for ANYTHING to be announced. Since Halo 3 and Reach had a Multiplayer Beta, hopefully we can also get a Beta for Halo 4 later on in the year.

More Halo 4 News after the Embargo.

343 Industries, the new owners of the Halo franchise, with the help of Certain Affinity and Sabre Interactive, have released a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved. Dubbed “Halo Anniversary”, it also comes with new features that will excite many Halo fans. However, with Halo 4 coming next year, will this show 343 Industries is the right group to handle the franchise?

Our gaming editors, Ashton Bernard and Adrian Cajili, give their verdict after the jump.

As this is a dual-review, Adrian with be in red and Ashton will be in blue. The score is an average of what the editors have provided. Their scores can be found in the Conclusion section of the post.

Campaign

Adrian: Being a massive Halo-fan, I remember the first time playing Halo and experiencing a new , mysterious universe. From getting off the Pillar of Autumn onto Halo, encountering the flood in 343 Guilty Spark, and the drive to the Longsword in The Maw. 343 has done an amazing job in trying to stay true to Halo CE’s gameplay and physics.

For people who played the original campaign at an early age, Anniversary helped explain certain moments that were a bit confusing 10 years ago. Also, the inclusion of skulls and terminals makes Halo Anniversary greatly appealing to the core Halo fans with a back story of 343 Guilty Spark and the Halo Array.

Ashton: I, myself, am also a huge fan of Halo, but ten years ago I did not play the original game and so Halo Anniversary was a great means for me to experience the campaign that started it all. From breezing your way through on normal difficulty in the beaches and tunnels of Halo to defying devilish foes on Legendary, Halo Anniversary sucked me in with breath-taking visuals and a musical score that left me thinking nostalgically of my own Halo experiences.

However many levels on “classic” and “remastered” graphics seemed very repetitive (more likely a trademark of games of that era) this did somewhat make the campaign at times quite tedious. However co-op over Xbox Live is heaps of fun, whether your buddy is trying to stop you from getting a skull or you teabag a dead hunter for a solid 10 minutes Halo Anniversary encapsulated all things Halo. Nice one 343! 

Graphics and Gameplay

Adrian: Being able to change from Classic to Remastered graphics is the key feature to Anniversary, which shows how far technology, as well as Halo, has come in the last 10 years. With these new graphics, levels were more easy to navigate, and showed how enemies, levels and enemies should have looked like. Although the level designs got a bit repetitive in the classic and remastered version, just being able to switch from the two was very nostalgic.

Ashton: Hitting the back button in most games is usually just a menu (if it does anything at all) yet in Halo Anniversary, you experience much more than that, you see how far Halo and games in general have come in the past 10 years. Finding a real scenic spot and just switching up the graphics is pretty damn awesome! Gameplay is a huge plus. Who needs recoil on a sniper rifle when you’re the Chief right? Not to mention tearing up terrified enemies and anything else stupid enough to stand in your way with the pistol. It is incredibly enjoyable and a great way to satisfy your “grunty-thirst.”

Multiplayer

Adrian: Multiplayer was a bit odd, playing on the reach engine, aside from the 7 new maps available, including my all-time favourite ‘Hang ‘em High’, 343 brought back the overpowered pistol. After a few hours of gameplay, the pistol seemed to overpower the Shotgun, Energy Sword, Rocket launcher and DMR, as it was greatly used from close to mid-range, or even long-range. Also, it took 3 melee attacks to kill and enemy. But overall, the only thing that drew me in were the Multiplayer maps, and seeing how Certain Affinity can remaster a simple Halo CE level into something visually amazing. 

Ashton: Jumping back into Halo Anniversary’s multiplayer with the Reach engine is a peculiar experience. Immediately I forget that I could no longer sprint and that the DMR is weaker than my side arm, but after a bit of practice the controls become more user-friendly and no sooner does this occur that you get absolutely destroyed by the pistol. Get a bad spawn? Well then say good-bye to your health bar because you are gonna die very, very quickly. In contrast, if you manage to get a jump on an opponent delivering death with the surprising, yet familiar strength of the pistol, can lead to some rewarding killing sprees. Except on High Noon (Hang em’ High remake) cause on that map you cannot hide my friends.

Kinect Functionality

Adrian: Kinect was a new feature that was announced days before the game was released. With Kinect, you can ‘Analyse’ and ‘Scan’ objects to add to your Library. The Library includes all the items you have scanned, Enemies, Weapons, Vehicles, and lets you look at them in detail, as well as learn about the object, or its history. There were a few problems with the Kinect implementation as it would randomly pick up noises and randomly throw a grenade, or go to the start menu, as well as having a few seconds of delay. 

Ashton: The Kinect functionality in the game is at times quite enjoyable, waiting that half a second after you say “reload” and seeing your TV give into your commands tend to be quite magical. But unfortunately the technology is not perfect, sometimes common expressions like “its lagging” can be interpreted as “library” and then would open up your library of scanned items. Or sometimes a grenade is accidentally thrown which is extremely frustrating especially when afterwards you say “I didn’t throw a grenade” only to see you waste more grenades and possibly kill your friends in co-op. Thanks a lot Adrian!

Conclusion

Adrian: Halo Anniversary is a present to the Halo fans, and shouldn’t really be compared to the games that have been recently released. Celebrating 10 years of Halo, 343 Industries have shown us how dedicated they are to the Halo franchise, as well as their upcoming game Halo 4. The elements of the game really did make me remember the times playing Halo CE and I applaud 343 Industries for their magnificent work. Although there could’ve been a few minor adjustments, this game should be in the hands of all true Halo fans, so they can experience the ‘campaign of the decade’ in a remastered version, and see what it was like to play Halo 10 years ago.

I give this game an 8.9/10

Ashton: This holiday season was jam-packed with games, but if you loved the original Halo or are huge fan of the series like myself or Adrian, then you should certainly get this game. There’s not much in gaming that can match the nostalgic feeling of Halo. You are constantly reminded of how large the Halo universe is, how far it has come, and seeing the craftsmanship and dedication that 343 Industries put into this game gets me personally excited of what else they can bring to the fore.

Bravo 343, keep it up! 8.8/10

After the release of Dance Central, and being critiqued as not only the best Dance game but the best Kinect game of 2010, Harmonix has released Dance Central 2 with amazing new tracks and features. With new Crew Challenges and refined Break it down mode will Dance Central 2 be as good and successful as the first game?

Warning: Spoilers!

Storyline & Characters

Dance Central 2 has a new story mode titled ‘Crew Challenge’ and focuses on the various dance crews in the game. By earning their respect, you will be able to challenge more difficult crews as well unlock alternate outfits. There are 7 dance crews in the game and includes 6 returning characters from the first Dance Central. Despite the fact that some of these characters are heavily stereotyped – Bodie a ‘surfer dude’, Angel the cocky Spaniard, and Glitch an Asian B-Boy – the characters’ personalities bring a new feel to the game. As some crews are there to support you, there are crews like the Glitterati, who just annoy the hell out of you.

The Crew Challenge mode encourages dancers to 5 star a song in order to receive crew points to unlock alternate outfits as well as earn a Gold Card for that crew. The storyline is a bit odd and includes a creepy old man named Dr. Tan, who ’watches your every move’ and plans on dominating dance crews with his unstoppable robots.

The Storyline overall is fairly interesting as you gradually learn about each crew and the members, as well as the type of music and dance styles in the game. Crew Challenges help players to progress in difficulty in dance moves and motivates players to perfect each track.

Gameplay & Graphics

Dance Central 2 is a more helpful way of learning how to dance, even though these dance moves maybe not as crazy as some games, the choreography is amazing and definitely suits the song being danced to. Dance Central is also very enjoyable whether it is having dance battles with friends, or playing solo and trying to top the leaderboards, the game allows you to learn challenging choreography that you see from music videos, whilst having fun.

Similar to Dance Central, flash cards appear on screen, and the player must dance the certain move to earn points. This goes on for each move unless you come across a gold flash card, which multiplies your score for that move by 4. With more advanced and challenging routines, Dance Central 2 has a lot of dance moves that include jumping, crouching as well as ‘the running man’, and has more energetic dance moves than the first game. Although there are a lot of new dance moves, most of the moves I encountered were a bit ‘feminine’ and a bit awkward to do, but other than that, the moves were more challenging than the first game.

Break it Down for Dance Central 2 has been refined to let the player learn specific dance moves, or the entire song like the first game. With Kinect functionality, the player can say “Xbox, Skip” or “Xbox, Record Video” to enhance their learning experience. Also, being able to slow down the move as well as see a recording of yourself, greatly help in learning those difficult hip hop moves. The game includes 4 modes when you choose a song, Perform It, which allows players to perform solo or co-operatively, Dance Battle, in which 2 players verse head-to-head for the highest score, Break It Down, and the Leaderboards, which compares your scores between your friends and the world.

In Dance Battle, there are certain parts of the song where a little minigame pops up. this minigame greatly increases your score as you try to complete the various moves on screen in any of the four columns. Also including an improved fitness mode, players are able to do a pre-set fitness playlist, each focusing on different workouts, or alternatively can create and save their own playlists of songs.

Dance Central 2′s graphics are quite similar to the first game, but includes a variety of stages to dance to. Each stage includes 2 different backdrops which change frequently throughout the song, for example, Riptide’s stage includes a bonfire party at the beach, and changes to a dance battle at the basketball courts. As players complete the moves flawlessly, the backdrop also turns into a nightclub with the neon lines and flashing lights.

Music

Having popular tracks from Usher, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Bruno Mars, as well as those classic songs like ‘What is Love?’ and ‘Hot Stuff’, the tracklist in Dance Central 2 is truly amazing. From these songs, you learn certain types of dance moves, for example in ‘DJ Got us falling in love’ by Usher, you’ll mainly learn popping and b-boy type moves, whereas in songs like ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Toxic’, you’ll learn more feminine and complicated dance moves.

Giving you about 40+ songs as well as being able to transfer Dance Central songs for 400 Miscrosoft Point and DLC, there will be about 100+ songs in the library, giving players a wide selection of songs to dance to. To name a few, there are song like:
Like a G6 – Far East Movement
Yeah – Usher
Born This Way – Lady Gaga
Grenade – Bruno Mars
Sexy Chick – Akon ft. David Guetta

Dance Central 2 gives players the option to toggle Freestyle mode, which includes a freestyle section in the middle of a song, or can toggle it off and dance a couple more moves instead of freestyling. This doesnt apply to Dance Central songs, and automatically has a freestyle section.

More than 30 songs were available for download for DC, and are also available for Dance Central 2, keeping in mind that Harmonix have a lot more DLC tracks to come, such as the recent announcement that they are releasing new DLC tracks from Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Bottom Line

With its wide range of tracks, professional dance moves and amazing game mechanics, Dance Central 2 is arguably one of the best dance games to ever be released. Even though it doesn’t bring as much ‘fun’ as other dance games, Dance Central 2 helps players to learn complicated moves and give them a sense of satisfaction as well as enjoyment when playing with friends. Break it Down and Dance Battle were the two features that stood out the most, Break it down, giving players multiple ways to learn specific dance moves, and Dance battle which allows two players to dance simultaneously.

If you enjoy party games, especially dancing/singing games, then Dance Central 2 is just for you. Even if you’re shy or really uncoordinated, playing the game with friends can be really enjoyable and can help people to feel more confident in a way. With a wide selection of song genres, features to help improve your dancing, Dance Central 2 greatly outweighs the first game and can possibly be the best dancing game to date.

New images have been leaked by a member of the Se7ensins forums, revealing the next Call of Duty game, named Project Iron Wolf. Modern Warefare 3 hasn’t even been released, nor has there been any new updates on the game, and Treyarch are already developing another CoD game.

It was reported that a pair of hackers had accessed an Xbox account, braindx0, which happened to be the gamertag of one of the employees from Treyarch. Through their friends list, the hackers noticed that a new title ‘Iron Wolf’ was being played by a couple of their friends.

The game may be an early build of Modern Warefare 3, of could be a new game title from Treyarch. It is most likely to be another Call of Duty title, as Treyarch’s Studio boss, Mark Lamia told CVG last year that “Treyarch is a 100 percent Call of Duty studio”. Also, the hackers also saw that the map that was being played on shared the same name from a map in Black Ops.

No information on the game has been shared, but there are rumours that the next installment may be based in Vietnam.

Screenshots from Se7ensins.com 

These Costume packs are available after Downloading any DLC character:

Skarlet: MK3 Cyrax and MK3 Sektor

Kenshi: UMK3 Noob and UMK3 Smoke

Rain: MKII Kitana and MKII Jade

Freddy Krueger: MK3 SubZero and MK3 SubZero

These Compatibility Packs are free once the DLC character is downloaded and is also an update, so people who have not downloaded the characters will be able to verse them online.

Each Character is 400 Microsoft Points, or if you purchased a Seasonal Pass for 1200, you will be able to get all 4 characters for the price of 3.

Despite the fact that Australians still cant get their hands on MK9, In recent news, NSW has agreed to put forward an R18+ Rating for Video Games, in Australia. “Passage of the classification change will mean that games such as Mortal Kombat will finally reach retail stores”

For the Latest news on the current issue for an R18+ rating for video games in Autralia, Click HERE.

Dan Ayoub, the Executive Producer at 343 gives us an insight into Halo: CEA’s Campaign, showing off the new graphics and sound engine, the physics in gameplay, and the feature to change the graphics from classic mode to the remastered version. Being 343′s primary goal to make sure Halo fans could re-live what it was like to play the game 10 years ago, they have done an fantastic job in ‘preserving’ Halo, by adding a remastered graphics layer over Halo: CE’s graphics layer and still keeping the original game’s physics and movements.

To watch the Halo Anniversary Campaign Demo Trailer, Click HERE!

As a massive Halo fan, re-living the experience of playing the (best) Halo Campaign on my Xbox, would be fantastic, not only will playing this make me think about mission such as Truth and Reconciliation, where you snipe enemies at night, Assault in the Control room, and my favourite campaign mission of all, The Maw, where you have to drive through groups of flood to get to the ship, but will also experience the “campaign of the decade” that made Halo what is is today

343 Industries have done a great job so far as the new developers for the Halo series, and have shown how their main focus are the Halo fans. They have also announced that At HaloFest, at PAX Prime in August 26 to 28, a Halo: CEA Demo will be playable as well announcing more information about Halo 4, the start of a new Halo Trilogy

More information about Halo: Anniversary and Halo 4 soon.

Modelled after the ‘new’ version of Freddy, his signature striped shirt, hat, gloves and creepy laugh bring a weird feeling to the game. His move set and special attacks are brilliant, as he uses his gloves to basically bring pain to any MK9 character with his fighting style, and also using it as a pop-up move or a projectile attack. Also, in his X-ray, he uses his razor gloves, as he stabs them in the chest and slashes the opponent across the face. Receiving two fatalities, the furnace fatality being the (better) one, Freddy is a powerful and fairly quick character, being able to teleport and use a pop-up attack.

Firstly, as well as everyone else, I didn’t see this coming, thinking that the next DLC was Mortal Kombat Character. I think Freddy fits in the cast of Kombatants very well and just shows how NetherRealm Studios are just full of surprises.

To View the Mortal Kombat: Freddy Krueger DLC Trailer, Click HERE!

Freddy Krueger is available on AUGUST 9th on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and also, Skarlet, Kenshi and Rain are NOW available for download.

Rain has the ability to control water, and is seen through his attacks where he makes a water bubble around the opponent to control him/her, a water stream that keeps the opponent away, an uppercut teleport, and his lightning bolt attack from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 returns, but giving it a 3-hit attack making it easier to juggle opponents.One of his signature attacks is his roundhouse kick which sends the opponent flying from one side, to the other side of the screen.

Rain was seen as a ‘joke’ character because of his name and colour, but now he looks real ‘bad-ass’ with his X-ray attack and his Fatalities, which I should mention look really awesome.

In the Skarlet Trailer, NetherRealm Studios announced that a mysterious DLC character is going to be released after Rain. Who do you think it will be?

And although it’s a very celebratory episode – it’s no time to celebrate when LulzSec is on the prowl. But if you’re looking for a party, this episode was recorded earlier – so we hopefully sound a bit more sober than before.

This episode sees the return of Gabriel Huynh and sees the debut of both Adrian Cajili and Ashton Bernard on the podcast – and hopefully will be joining on the roundtable sometime later in the year.

Don’t forget to subscribe and download!

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Show Notes

The Weekly Overview

Suspected LulzSec member arrested in UK as census data stolen

Supposed LulzSec IRC chat logs released

Nokia announces the N9 smartphone – finally gets into the game

Nokia WP7 phone leaked out – codename “Sea Ray”

Mozilla Firefox 5 released

Microsoft celebrates the new version of….Firefox?

Telstra launches the world’s fastest 3G Wi-Fi hotspot

ICANN approves new changes to domain names

In The Loop

Final Cut Pro X: Apple’s biggest mistake in years?

Apple unveils new Time Capsules

Apple iPhone 5 to be major update after all; announcement and availability in August?

Source: Apple to Enter TV Display Business Late This Year

iOS 5: What’s new in Beta 2

Tom’s Stockings (1)

$99 USD Android Tablet – Arnova 7

Twitter plans bolder advertisements

Telstra introduces the World’s largest footprint of HD Voice

Pwnage Playtime

Lawsuit: Sony laid off security staff before data breach

PopCap Games snares a mystery buyer?

More Duke Nukem coming

Dead or Alive: Dimensions re-rated M Down Under

Team Fortress 2 Going Free-To-Play

The Other Stories

IT’S DONE: Telstra inks $11bn NBN dealt

NBN: Optus migrates HFC users for $800m

Voluntary ISP filter attracts global attention

FTC launching antitrust probe over Google search, ad businesses

Bitcoin: Virtual money gets hacked and heisted

Secret money: ABC virtual currency racket probe

Skype Fires Executives, Avoiding Payouts After Microsoft Buyout

Microsoft gets antitrust approval to buy Skype

Revenge of the Ugly: ‘Beautiful People’ Dating Site Hacked

Yahoo approaches Hulu about possible acquisition [Updated]

Winklevoss twins press Facebook case in Boston federal court after dropping Supreme Court appeal

Tom’s Stockings (2)

JK Rowling launches Pottermore website

Netregistry buys Distribute.IT

Skype confirms native iPad app coming with video chat

“This is the year that we say goodbye to Halo, but though the thought of our absence from this universe may bring a salty tear to your twinkling eye there is much to celebrate.”

Bungie have announced 7 reasons to why you should join the celebration, which include the release of their new iPhone App “Bungie Mobile”, which will keep you updated on Bungie’s latest projects and other fun information.
Also, through the iPhone app, Bungie have announced that because this is their last year, the Armor effect “Eternal”, the blue flames that were exclusive to Bungie workers, are now available for every Halo Fan. As well as the Bungie Nameplate and the Allstars (VIP) Nameplate.

For the Bungie Mobile FAQ, and more information on the Eternal Armor Effect, Click Here, and for the Bungie Update on “7 Reasons to Celebrate” Click Here.

First of all, Bungie has put 343 Industries in charge of the Halofranchise, and are working on a multi-platform MMORG called ‘Destiny’ (Not much information on their upcoming title). 343 Industries revealed two Halo trailers which has amazed many Halo Fanboys, not only because there is a new Halo game being released this year, but it is about time we can finally know what is going to happen to Master Chief.

Secondly, this year marks the Halo franchise’s 10th year anniversary, and is basically the reason why a remastered version is going to be released, to show halo players where Halo first began.

This is all I know about the Halo: CE Remake, some this information has not been confirmed but here are some rumours circulating the game
- The Halo: CE remake will include Campaign, Co-Op, and Online Co-Op, Multiplayer (6 Multiplayer Maps, 1 Firefight)
- (Unconfirmed) The game will include 7 classic maps on a separate disc. Much like Halo: ODST, where there were two discs, Campaign and Multiplayer
- (Unconfirmed) Multplayer will be built around the Reach Engine (it is unknown if the maps are DLC for Reach)
- They have not touched the main storyline and have only changed the graphics, sound to make the game work well on the Xbox360 and also to show gamers what they can do with modern technology
- During gameplay, you can switch from the Remastered version and Classic version
- 343 Industries have stated that they have kept the gameplay physics from Halo: CE and have only changed the look of the guns. The Assault rifle looks similar to the one in Reach, and the Needler is re-design to look like the one in Halo: CE
-  There are familiar stages in the reveal trailer of the Remake, levels/ maps like: Truth and Reconciliation, The Silent Cartographer, Hang Em High, Beaver Creek and Damnation
- There will be many Easter eggs such as terminals, according to the developers at 343 Industries
- (Unconfirmed) Armor Abilities? Sprinting? I hope not
- It has been confirmed by 343 Industries that there will be more information at PAX this year, a playable demo perhaps?

From watching the trailer this is all I know about Halo 4, and again, some of this information has not been confirmed, and because of this trailer, some things have changed, which will be explained.
- From the trailer it is seen that Master Chief has finally been woken up by Cortana, with explosions everywhere in the ‘Forward Unto Dawn’
- Master Chief is re-designed, looking more bulkier, and is seen using a jetpack to dodge all the objects falling down. Some pieces of his Armor are missing, like his crotch plate, showing the damage he took during Halo 3.
- Cortana is re-designed, but because of this early trailer, the designs might be changed again.
- (Unconfirmed) Armor abilities may be included in Halo 4, seeing as though the Chief used a jetpack.
- There will definitely be new weapons, as seen in the trailer Master Chief gets a hold of a small pistol-shaped gun, which looks like a handheld mortar/grenade launcher gun.
- (Unconfirmed) Guns will have attachments? Seeing as though the gun that Master Chief used could’ve been a magnum with a grenade launcher attachment.
- (Unconfirmed) The ship is falling to pieces as it heads towards a forerunner planet. It was always seen as a forerunner planet because of the symbols on the planet in the Legendary Halo 3 Ending, and it is seen in the trailer that a there is an Ark-like structure that the ship is heading towards.
- There is no news on other features such as Campaign, Multiplayer, Firefight, Forge, Theatre, but I’m hoping that there will be more Halo 4 being revealed in PAX 2011

Even though Bungie is not making Halo: 4 or the Remake, Halo Fans are quite unsure of 343 Industries and what to expect, all we can do is wait and see if 343 Industries can really keep the Halo Franchise alive.

Mortal Kombat's First DLC: All Those Pre-Order Costumes and Fatalities http://bit.ly/iVFKhx

May 27, 2011 8:16 AM via twitterfeedReplyRetweetFavorite

@giantbomb

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So it has finally been confirmed, the very first DLC pack will include two new characters, Skarlet and Kenshi, and will include all the ‘Klassic Kostumes’ that were available when you pre-ordered the game. These costumes are basically palette swaps, which brings back memories of the original trilogy as the ninjas and assassins were basically re-coloured and given a new name. There will only be new costumes for Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile, Ermac, Mileena, Jade and Kitana, as well as three ‘Klassic’ fatalities for Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile.

An image was leaked showing Cyrax and Sektor in ther classic MK3 costume. It has not been confirmed whether they will be in the first or second round of DLCs.

Also, according to Ed Boon, NetherRealm Studios will be releasing a gameplay trailer for their DLC character Skarlet, as well as stating that the DLC characters will be playable at the upcoming E3 in June.

It is said that the First batch of DLC will be released during June, hopefully and R18+ rating will be introduced by then

The second character confirmed for the first line-up of Mortal Kombat DLCs, as seen on a leaked image with Skarlet, AND confirmed by Ed Boon, the creative director of the MK series, is Kenshi a.k.a the Blind Swordsman.

He firstly made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, who fought alongside Earthrealm’s warriors to get his revenge on Shang Tsung for blinding him. Despite his blindness, Kenshi wield a very powerful sword, which enhances his senses, such as hearing to make him visually see opponents and objects kind of like Batman.

After freeing Ermac from Shao Kahn’s control, he was taught by Ermac, the power of telekinesis, making him able to teleport and do awesome telekinetic throws and slams.

In the latest MK9 DLC, which is rumoured to be released sometime next week, skarlet and kenshi share the same colour, red. Kenshi’s appearance is unconfirmed in MK9, but in the leaked image of the upcoming DLC characters, he is seen with his MK: Deadly alliance costume with more defined and detailed armour.

RT @xSkullDemon41x @noobde What are your plans for DLC hmm? Noobde: So far Skarlet and Kenshi!

May 19, 2011 3:54 AM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@noobde

noobde

It has been about a month after the release of Mortal Kombat, and there are many rumours going around regarding DLC, and console-exclusive characters. There will definitely be DLC coming out soon which may contain 3 MK characters in the series. It is unknown which characters are going to be released first but through the hacking of the game, Skarlet a.k.a the Lady in Red will definitely be one of the 3 characters in the first line-up of DLCs.

In the original trilogy, many characters were created through glitches and secrets and one of these characters, Skarlet, was created through a coding glitch in Mortal Kombat II. While she was not apart of the original storyline, Skarlet can be seen throughout story mode, as well as in the background of some Arenas (ShaoKahn’s Coliseum)
In the Mortal Kombat Wiki and seen in a number of Youtube Videos, Skarlet appears to be a red ninja who uses knives and daggers in her move-set, as well as having the power to manipulate blood. (Pretty weird right?)

Here is a list of characters that are rumoured to be DLC characters:
Fujin – his name was heard in the character selection screen through hacking
Havik – was seen in Noob Saibot’s Arcade Ending
Tanya
Frost
Mavado
Rain

It has not been confirmed whether these exclusives are correct but here are a few rumours spreading around:

• Puzzle Kombat, which was a mini-game in MK: Deception, which features online play, leaderboards, and avatar support
• An Exclusive arena, The Pit 360, which is a remake of The Pit III from MK 3
• King of the Hill mode will include avatar support (screenshots have been found on youtube)- As well as exclusive avatar gear will be available for purchase from the Avatar Marketplace

Thanks do mkuniverse.lu, an image was found which greatly shows that there IS Xbox 360 Exclusive features. In this image, there are 2 fighers, with 2 Chibi-looking MK characters in the bottom corners. Also, it looks like there are Xbox 360 avatars at the bottom in the ‘audience’, watching the fight.

RT @draven_defay damnit, I hope PS3 gets puzzle kombat and pit 3. Still not better than Kratos. Noobde: Dont believe everything u read.

April 9, 2011 1:19 AM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@noobde

noobde

According to Ed Boon, the Creative Developer of NetherRealm Studios, there are a lot of rumours on the internet that are untrue, Do you think there will be ANY exclusives for the Xbox 360?

With 343 Industrial being the new owners of the highly acclaim Halo series, does 343 Industrial, with the help of Certain Affinity live up the exceptions set by Bungie? Does this map pack sets a good path for 343 Industrial and their future?

Our gaming editors, Adrian Cajili and Gabriel Huynh, gives you what’s new, and their verdict are just after the jump.

As this is a the first dual-review, Adrian with be in blue and Gabriel will be in red. The scores is an average of what the editors have provided. Their scores can be found in the Conclusion section of the post.

Condemned

Orbital Station Gamma, an abandoned space station that served for the UNSC that oversees the Fall of Reach. Once a communication station between planet Earth and Reach, now one of the last remaining UNSC buliding. This map allow 6 to 12 players and support Capture the Flag, Stockpile, and Slayer game types.

Adrian: Being modeled after Lockout/Blackout from Halo 2 and 3, the elements of the map make Condemned a very spacious fighting zone that contains a number of rooms which can easily confuse players that are new to the map. Despite the large amount of camping spots, this map is great for Slayer, Stockpile and Headhunter, and games which include player running around like crazy. The low-gravity central area, the detail of the map as well as the view from a space station (looking down on the glassed planet Reach) are magnificent, and show how Certain Affinity have taken their time to create a detailed map which fits into the Reach era.

Gabriel: The roundish nature of the map makes it good for close quarter combat. With a anti-gravity region in the centre of the map and the multiple connecting rooms, this map can get anyone lost in a matter of minutes. However each of the rooms contains signs and are colour-coordinated to help the player to get a sense of location. With the scenery of the Fall of Reach, the graphics are just breath taking and just lovely to watch.

Highlands

A UNSC training ground located on the a preserve located on Reach. Before the invasion by the Covenant, this training group trained upcoming Spartans. Now it is just a battlefield with the glassing of the planet in the background. This map supports Big Team Battles, Slayer, and Team Objective gametypes.

Adrian: Highlands is a great map for Slayer games like Big Team Battle and Multi-team, as well as team objective gametypes such as Capture the Flag and Assault. There are a large amount of weapons and vehicles on the map and are spread evenly across the wide open spaces and team bases. Also having a blue and red base on either side, it slightly resembles previous Halo maps like Valhalla and Battle Creek, and contains many cover and bases which can be useful for tactical team objective games. This map is very big and it takes a while to find enemies, and can be very frustrating when the opposing team obtain all the power weapons before your team gets the chance to. Being my favourite map in the Defiant Map Pack, this surely brings back memories from Halo 2 and 3, and give Halo players a different environment to play in with covenant ships glassing the area around you, the detail in the map is extremely well done.

Gabriel: Just the size of the map is amazing. The detail in graphics are just amazing. With the inclusion of a crash Pelican, reminiscing of the crashed Pelican on Valhalla in Halo 3. With the range of vehicles in this map it is easy to get to Point A to Point B, especially in Capture the Flag gametypes. With many structures to fight in, such as caves, building structures; players can easily be reminded of other beloved Halo maps from older generations.

Unearthed

With the fortification of Reach, the UNSC began to use the discovered Titanium from the a site of a meteor crater. This discovered Titanium is used for many UNSC equipment manufacturer. As the Covenant began their invasion of Reach, the Covenant quickly gained control of this mine. This Firefight map allows three to four player teaming up together to fight against the Covenant forces.

Adrian: This map differs from the other Firefight maps as it is set in an abandoned UNSC mining facility. The map is fairly small and includes a Rocket Hog which just brings a whole lot of carnage whilst fighting the Covenant (Muahaha!) but also has to be used wisely against dodging, grenade-throwing, Covenant enemies. The map contains a little circuit for the Warthog to drive around, and buildings which can be used to an advantage to attack enemies below. Despite the frustrating lag whilst playing online, the map contains warm colours and a large background (titanium spikes and mining plateaus) which are greatly effective, and show how the designers know how to maintain the feel of Halo Reach throughout their maps.

Gabriel: As this map is different from the usual maps released in DLC map packs, I applauded 343 Industrial and Certain Affinity for originality and thinking outside the box. Now for my review. This Firefight map takes a different approach to any Firefight map with the inclusion of many vehicles. The earthy colours and the high metal structures give the player a feel of a mine. With the background showing the titanium being exposed I thought it was a nice touch.

Conclusion

Adrian: The designs of the map pack are highly detailed and extraordinary. The maps not only show how Reach was glassed but gives the audience an insight on the look and feel of Reach getting destroyed (which is in fact pretty sad). The elements of the map have been taken from previous Halo maps and have been used to create such little memories of playing Halo 2 and 3, I applaud the creators for their magnificent work. Not only does it show off their creative, map designing skills, but also shows how Certain Affinity and 343 Industries have done a great job in making maps as good as Bungie. A 8.8/10 for me.

Gabriel: Despite Bungie not making this map pack, 343 Industrial and Certain Affinity have done a superb in designing and adding content in the Halo Universe. With including a Firefight map 343 Industrial shows that they are not living in the shadows of Bungie. I give it a 9.1.

The Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack is currently available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points. The game Halo: Reach is require for playing the DLC.

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAIN SPOILERS! So if you don’t like to be spoiled, then don’t read.

Two days ago, an image was leaked showing the first batch of DLC characters. The DLC ‘pack’ will mostly include characters that are not from the trilogy, but are memorable and popular in the Mortal Kombat series. The First Character is Kintaro, a Tiger-Shokan (Four-armed beast), who was an unplayable sub- boss character, first appearing in Mortal Kombat II. The ‘Lady in Red’, also named ‘Skarlett‘ is the second character revealed who was created through a glitch in Mortal Kombat II, and the last character in the first batch of DLC characters is Kenshi, a blind swordsman who made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. It’s pretty weird, because of the fact that the DLC characters are announced before the game is even released, but it shows how NetherRealm Studios have chosen to include old favourites from the previous Mortal Kombat games.

Yesterday. this photo of the Mortal Kombat 9 Character Select screen had been leaked, which includes all of the characters that will be in the video game, which comes out in April in all countries except Australia!

By the looks of the photo, most of the characters in the Mortal Kombat Trilogy have been confirmed except Rain and Motaro, so it is unknown whether the two will make an appearance, or be downloadable characters. It is also unknown whether players are able to use Shao Khan and Goro.

From the image, the characters are:

• Scorpion, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sub Zero (Human)
• Sindel, Ermac, Reptile, Kitana
• Johnny Cage, Jade, Mileena, Nightwolf
• Cyrax, Noob Saibot, Human Smoke, Sektor
• Sonya, Jax, Kano, Stryker
• Shang Tsung, Baraka, Kabal, Raiden
• DLC slot, Sheeva, Quan Chi, DLC slot

From the image, you can see that at the bottom, the arrows show that there may be more characters and shows that the bottom line of characters can rotate while choosing characters, but mainly for DLC characters. You can also see that a number of characters have been confirmed such as Sinde (Mother of Kitana)l, Jade, Human Smoke (What is up with his hair?), Stryker, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Kabal, Sheeva, Quan Chi, and finally Cyber Sub Zero.

It has been said that during the main storyline, Smoke was turned into a cyborg, and Sub zero had escaped before his clan made him into a cyborg, which then kept him as a human throughout the series. But in this game however, due to the plot twist, Smoke escapes and stays human, whereas Sub zero is captures and turned into a cyborg. So it’s really interesting to see what NetherRealm Studios have come up with, and shows how tweaking the storyline also changes the characters.

I am extremely annoyed by the fact that Mortal Kombat will not be released in Australia, the Australian Classifications Board really have to understand that Australia has mature adult gamers who should be allowed to play whatever video games they want. But sadly they do not understand the fact that these adults ARE mature enough to play violent FANTASY video games.

As the latest Mortal Kombat is to be released next month, the publisher Warner Bros. Interactive have announced that the ban for Mortal Kombat for Australia still stands, and will not be released due to their unsuccessful appeal.

The Australian Classification Board is convinced that Mortal Kombat’s fatalities and graphic gameplay exceeds their highest video game rating, and has rejected Warner Bros. appeal, to try and get Mortal Kombat into Australia.

“We’re obviously extremely disappointed that the refused classification decision has been upheld by the Classification Review Board,” said the publisher. “We want to thank the thousands of Mortal Kombat fans in Australia and around the world who have voiced their support during the appeal process.”

As gamers now try to import the game from overseas, there may be a possibility that customs might seize the game, or a fine might be imposed to anyone who tries to import the game.

It really annoys me that Australia still does not have an R18+ rating, I don’t think the ACB understand the fact that THERE ARE mature adult gamers in Australia, and not having a mature rating just causes more problems with gamers as they have the right to play any game they want.
Why have an R18+ rating for movies, and nothing for video games?

...then we gotta roll up our sleeves and make an rated-E version for our friends down under! ;)

February 28, 2011 12:59 PM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@noobde

noobde

Although this may not be 100% true, we are still hoping for an uncensored version.

About a month until Mortal Kombat will be released in America and Europe, a new gameplay video has been released by NetherRealm studios, showing a new gametype called Challenge tower, where the player completes a series of challenges, which also acts as a form of training, until he or she reaches the end for a mysterious prize. It is seen in the video that Mortal Kombat Koins will be returning but it is unknown what these will be used for. Perhaps they’re bringing back the Krypt.

To check out the Video, Click the link below:

Mortal Kombat 9 Challenge Tower

And for other Mortal Kombat Videos check out TheUltimateRyu’s youtube channel, which includes a variety of gameplay videos, MK9 videos, classic MK videos and more.

There have been many cases where publishers whose games have been banned from sale have successfully changed the board’s decision by submitting a modified, toned down version. Even though these modifications are being made, most greatly affect gameplay and make the game less enjoyable. In the case of Mortal Kombat, Warner Bros have said that they would not be toning down MK9 as “that wouldn’t be Mortal Kombat”. MK9 without blood, or fatalities, anyone? Exactly.

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) are currently addressing all options to reverse the decision by the the Australian classification board, which includes an appeal (Warner Brothers have been previously successful with the games Aliens vs. Predator and F.E.A.R. 2, both being given an MA15+ classification on appeal)

So who knows, there is a chance that Mortal Kombat will be released in Australia.

In other news, the trailer for We Dare, by Ubisoft was released for the game featuring two couples engaged in simulated kissing, before the women lie on over the laps of each other’s male partner with the Wiimote tucked in the back of their pants/ skirts, where spanking is to be performed to play the minigame.

Afterwards, the couples who mix and match partners, are later shown performing a striptease, which is also featured as part of the game.
The game also includes 35 “fun and flirtatious” mini-games, which includes games like pole dancing.

Click Here to watch the We Dare Trailer

Ubisoft, the game’s developers had suggested their game ‘We Dare’ to be given an M rating, as it included mature minigames. but the Australian Classification Board decided that despite the sexual innuendos in the game, We Dare is an enjoyable, party game, giving it a PG rating.

The decision to ban Mortal Kombat while giving We Dare a PG rating has shown us the morals of the Australian Classification Board regarding censorship. It appears that games that promote things like spanking, stripping and partner swapping are deemed acceptable for children to play, while hardcore simulated on-screen violence is a massive no! no!

On the 24th of February, The Australian Classification Board made their final decision about the upcoming game Mortal Kombat 9 after receiving the game on the 15th. It has been concluded that “the game contains violence that exceeds strong in impact and is unsuitable for a minor to see or play” and therefore will not be released in Australia.

A statement was receieved from Warner Brothers saying:

The highly anticipated video game Mortal Kombat, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in Australia, has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board and will not release in Australia. We are extremely disappointed that Mortal Kombat, one of the world’s oldest and most successful video games franchises, will not be available to mature Australian gamers. WBIE would not market mature content where it is not appropriate for the audience. We understand that not all content is for every audience, but there is an audience for mature gaming content and it would make more sense to have the R18+ classification in Australia. As a member of the iGEA, WBIE is reviewing all options available at this time.

To see the .pdf document of the Decision Report click on the link below:

http://www.gamepron.com/imagery/MortalKombat-RC-AU-GamePron.pdf

Be warned, it contains graphic and violent descriptions of fatalities.

The reasons to why it is Refused Classification (RC) is not only because of the fatalities, but because of the graphics and detail the developers have put in the video game. Not only has the graphics greatly improved from Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but is a lot more violent and realistic than any other Mortal Kombat game.
It is extremely sad for people like me, big Mortal Kombat fans, to hear this news. From Kotaku Australia and IGN, it is said that the game might be censored like L4D2 (How depressing), and the only way to get the game is to import it from the UK.

There will be more news on this, as soon as there are any more announcements on Mortal Kombat in Australia