The cause for celebration: mounted combat. Yes, Skyrim Patch 1.6 will include a new feature to the game in the form of melee and ranged combat while mounted on a horse. And like other recently added features such as the kill cams and Xbox 360 Kinect support, this update is coming to you for free.

This highly-requested feature has fans itching for the downloadable content to arrive in their PCs and consoles for a first-hand experience. With the addition of mounted combat into the game, fighting enemies will have more versatility and challenges that are sure to appeal to gamers.

Luckily for PC users, they are able to get first dibs on the feature if they opt into the latest Steam Beta Update. Simply log into Steam and go to the account tab found under the settings menu to select “change” in the Beta Participation section to select Skyrim Beta. After the usual restart, Skyrim will be updated to the Beta version. Be sure to back up your saved games before opting into the Beta version so you can still revert to the current Skyrim release if you change your mind. If you’re playing Skyrim on other consoles, you’d still have to wait a bit more for the patch.

Bethesda Game Studios is also working on Dawnguard which is Skyrim’s first add-on DLC. Dawnguard is expected to come out in summer first on the Xbox then to other consoles. The patch also includes a few updates and bug fixes. Check it out.

Internet journalist Paul Gale mentioned in his website that Konami will be giving Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 a release not only for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but the PS Vita and Wii U as well. This comes alongside the news of another Castlevania title that may be released for the 3DS, namely Mirror of Fate, which was supposed to be on the Wii U, but that console was given to Lords of Shadow instead.

Gale also goes on to say that the Wii U version of the game may be superior to the other ports. How this would be possible is still unknown, but it’s also worth noting that just considering the PS VIta for a game more suited for a full-blown console rather than a handheld is something to admire and it will be interesting to see how Konami and developer MercurySteam will be able to do so.

Of course, there’s always a chance that Gale and his sources are mistaken, but so far, he hasn’t been wrong with big news such as this. He once reported on the game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale after all, and it turned out to be coming pretty soon. Should this report be true, then we can expect the action-adventure sequel to be announced at E3.

Tsunoda thinks that the current version of the interactive peripheral still has a lot more to offer the public and that developers should focus more on maximizing the potential of Kinect.

For now, the focus lies on grasping how to combine Kinect’s many different capabilities and use them in existing as well as upcoming games. Tsunoda cites one of the things they have come up with, a combination of facial detection, motion sensing, voice recognition, and vocal tone recognition to use in something like a character in a scene that allows the player to participate in it.

As developers get to know more about the peripheral and gain more experience in working with it, more and more games are being released that touch the full potential of the software.

Tsunoda further states that it’s not about waiting for a different hardware for Kinect 2 but rather for an upgrade of the current Kinect as well as the existing and upcoming games to further showcase the power of the software.

The good news is that gamers won’t need to be spending money on a new device to experience the full potential of Kinect.

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Nietzschean philosophy aside, the strength of the Budokai series has been the constant leveling up if not in terms of gameplay, in terms of character roster and this incarnation of the series could be the Super Saiyan 4. Indeed, it was announced that Dragon Ball: Sparking Omega is the final form and would contain the largest ever number of characters ever assembled (eclipsing even the record-breaking 161 characters of its predecessor). This could be a good gift to the fans of the series who are clamoring for more. Although some of them are already asking for an evolution of the game franchise, this final offering will undoubtedly leave an impact equivalent to that made by an SSJ4 Kamehameha.

Coming out in Japan this winter on PS3 and XBOX 360, Dragon Ball Sparking Omega is still developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Namco Bandai.

So far, the Unreal Engine 4 has a handful of screenshots from its tech demo. The demo doesn’t have much of a story, but it does feature a demonic knight decked in heavy fire armor waking up from a long slumber in a castle situated on a frozen mountain. Once it starts moving, the mountain is actually revealed to be a volcano and erupts for the first time in years.

The video hasn’t been released to the public yet, but the screens are still able to give a sense of how much the engine has improved from the previous version. The demon knight has lost the plastic look that still hounds character models in some of the more recent games, the special effects, most especially the flames, have a lot of detail and the background looks like better than anything a high-end camera can produce. In addition, Epic Games threw in some of the wire-frame models used to build some of the objects in the demo, showing just how the generated surroundings are build from scratch.

Unreal Engine 4 For Next-Gen Consoles

To create something of this magnitude, Epic cited James Cameron’s movie Avatar as something that comes very close to an inspiration because of how life-like the computer-generated graphics are, from the Pandora jungles to the characters themselves. The demo was made in just three months by 14 engineers and runs on a single NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, whereas the Unreal Engine 3′s Samaritan demo needed three GTX 580 chips, which is also a good indicator of how powerful a console needs to be to properly run the Unreal Engine 4. Because of this, the Unreal 4 will not be released for the current consoles, but instead go for the next generation of gaming products, two of which are the rumored Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.

Of course, it’s not confirmed if “Xbox 720″ and “PS4″ are going to be the actual names of the consoles or whether they’ll have the specs some rumors are talking about, but the Unreal 4 will be coming with the next devices Microsoft, Sony and other manufacturers will be releasing in the future. Epic Games may most likely make a splash at E3, so all we have to do is wait till June comes around.

Meanwhile, there’s an article here from pluggedin stating some arguments why the new engine may not arrive on Xbox 720 despite of the possibilities we laid out above. However, it’s noticeable the write-up seems to be a little confusing for some of its readers, giving an impression ‘unreal engine 4′ is a title not a next-gen tech for graphics engine.

Aside from that, Microsoft also gave the special features of Halo 4 like The Reclaimer Saga Begins where players get to share their screen (or not) to up to three of their friends and experience the beginning of a new adventure. The game also features numerous new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loud out and Spartan IV player progression system.

What comes along with that are the War Games (new game modes and strategies), group stats tracking through HaloWaypoint.com, and amazing sound and graphics during game play. The Spartan Ops also allows gamers to receive weekly episodes of an expanded campaign as well as new missions through the Xbox Live.

The features and functions of multiplayer map were also described in detail as part of the Limited Edition. They were Halo Infinity Multiplayer, Spartan Ops, War Games, and Total Combat Freedom and Player Progression.

The Limited Edition pack which includes nine multiplayer maps may be bought at 69.99 to 100 euros. This also allows players to access six Specializations earlier, access to new ranks and unlock new customization options.

If one would sum up the two-year Xbox Live Gold plan, it would reach a total payment of $360 by the end of 2 years. However, one must be wary of getting banned from Xbox Live as this will entitle him to a breach of contract and will compel him to pay for an early termination fee. Available only at a Microsoft Store, a customer purchasing the Xbox 360 will be subjected to a credit check. He should take note that an early termination fee would cost him $250 for the first quarter, $240 on the 4th month, and will consequently drop to $12/month for the remaining 20 months in the contract.

Before making that big decision on whether you should buy an Xbox 360 or not, consider some pros and cons of the system. Most of the pros are based of course on the comparison between the Xbox 360 and the PS3. For one thing, many gamers will attest that the Xbox 360 has greater graphics. The Xbox 360 was released at an earlier time than the PS3 which means that gamers have a wider selection of newly-released games and accessories. It has a cheaper price than the PS3 which sells for $499. You can have the option to watch DVD movies on your Xbox 360 when you buy the extra HD-DVD drive at around $199. You can download music and games and play multiplayer games online after signing up for X-box live. Sooner or later, online purchase of movies and TV shows will be made available and will also be downloadable to your machine. Buying wireless controllers worth around $50 which goes with batteries lasting up to 40 hours can also be possible if you want to have an easier game play.

Now it’s time to think about the cons. Even though the price of the Xbox 350 is cheaper than the PS3, it’s still deemed a little expensive for the casual gamer or anyone who’s on a tight budget. If you’re not a hardcore gaming fanatic, then you are left with a few choices of new games as most of the Xbox 360’s newer games are designed as hardcore. The console of the Xbox 360 is annoyingly loud when one is playing a game. Turning up the machine’s volume may help covering up the swirling noise though such move can be just as annoying itself. It has an ugly and heavy power source which deprives it from having a sleek appeal. Finding its spot around the house must be given careful thought since it can overheat and may turn out to be a fire hazard.

Of course, the decision is really up to you. On the whole, the contract isn’t all that bad though it depends on what kind of gamer you are. If you’re purpose is to purchase an Xbox 360 for a small price, then you are a “casual” gamer which makes you an unsuitable customer for the deal. You have the option to purchase the product either from Amazon or an Amazon Warehouse to get a lower price for the product. On the other hand, if you’re a “hardcore” gamer, then the deal is best for you as long as the thought of paying a total of $460 at the end of 2 years is nothing to be worried about.

Microsoft is convincing its customers that with this offer, it is certainly a good time for them to purchase the Xbox 360. With its E3 Conference feature which is described as “Entertainment Evolved” and focused entirely on Xbox Live’s Applications and Services, then one must absolutely go ahead and purchase a bundle.

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Apparently, what Microsoft will be offering is a $99 Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle that comes with a monthly payment plan. The scheme basically works the same as a mobile phone plan. With the Xbox subscription, user will be tied to a two (2) year contract. It also comes with corresponding penalties for early cancellation which we say is logical enough considering that the console retails for about $300. The good thing with the contract is that it comes with a warranty that covers the two (2) years.

This move by Microsoft implies that they are planning to make the Xbox 360 the choice for home entertainment (there’s stiff competition from Apple TV and Roku) aside from creating a niche in game console subscription.

As to when it will be made official, sources point out that Microsoft will make the announcement by next week. Once it pushes through, the plan can really be appealing to gamers, and would be gamers, wanting to have a piece of both Xbox 360 and Kinect. Sounds like a plan, well, what do you think?

Popular open world action role playing video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has a new upcoming expansion named, Dawnguard. And while no details have been revealed (the blog post only features a poster and the catchphrase: Coming this summer to Xbox 360. More details on E3.), this doesn’t stop gamers and online sites alike to speculate on the new expansion.

There are many different theories regarding the upcoming DLC. Some theories use the latest Skyrim patch as basis, where references of snow elves as well as crossbows are allegedly found. One such theory says that the snow elves are enemies to be killed with a crossbow and that the Dawnguard is a Nordic metal death band to be formed in a quest. Another cites new vampire animations on the recent update as a clue that the new expansion will feature vampires. And yet another speculates that the expansion could probably be a continuation of a Skyrim Dawnstar quest, Pieces of the Past, where players need to recreate Mehrunes Dagon’s the Mehrunes Razor.

What does seem to be clear is that the game will be released after June as Bethesda has revealed in their blog that they will wait for the E3 which will be in June to announce further details of the game. As with other Skyrim expansions, Dawnguard is expected to be released exclusively to Xbox for 30 days then on to other consoles after the 30-day exclusivity has expired.

(source)

Treyarch and Activision has revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The game will be set in 2025 where a high tech cold war has emerged between China and the United States. Modern technology will play a huge role in the game as war assets include robots, unmanned vehicles and mechs. Cyberwarfare is also another arena for this 21st century war.

The story is deeply rooted with the previous Black Ops game, with the protagonist being the son of Alex Mason (protagonist of the 1st Black Ops), David Mason. The story travels from the previous Black Ops setting, the Cold War in 1980, then all the way to 2025. It will be the first COD game that features a branching storylines where the player’s actions and decisions have the possibility to affect the current mission and, ultimately, the main story itself.

Perhaps the part of the game making as much buzz as the game itself is its Zombie Mode, and yes, the developers has confirmed that Black Ops 2 will indeed feature the Zombie Mode.

Treyarch boss Mark Lamia has dropped the clue that they have “something special” in store for the feature, saying it is their “biggest, most ambitious zombie effort ever.” One of the things that piques the interest of fans is the fact that Treyarch Sound Designer for Zombies Collin Ayers has shown interest on what gamers wish to see in the next Zombie Mode.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be released on November 2012 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. More details to see here.