GSC Game World is reported to be developing a second stand-alone S.T.A.L.K.E.R. expansion as well as a full-fledged sequel.

This comes from Clanbase and TTLG, both of whom cite the same Russian language interview with studio president Sergey Grigorovitch.

The expansion is subtitled “Call of Pripyat” and is due out later this year. While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was mentioned, no details were given.

The post-apocalyptic first-person shooter/RPG was released back in 2007, with “Clear Sky”, the expansion prequel, out the next year.

Prior to any announcement at all, Sony has updated the Japanese and Chinese PlayStation Network with Final Fantasy 7 International. Square-Enix’s classic RPG can now be bought for ¥1500, or $15.

The International version of the game is the same version we saw in the original North American release, which had graphical fixes and an extra cut scene that were not included in the initial Japanese version.

There is no word about if the title will be coming to North America or Europe.

Read (DarkZero)

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First Bioshock 2 Gameplay Trailer Released
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While their competitors in the gaming console market are slashing prices to obviously entice sales and make their game consoles affordable in the market, Nintendo is taking its sweet time following their lead. Priced at $250, it has already made an achievement as far as the number of game consoles sold.

And with recession obviously forcing the hand to somewhat put game consoles out of their circle of needs, Nintendo may be still studying the market before making any hasty decisions on price slashes.

“Price drops are just not needed by Nintendo at this time,” said Van Baker, a Gartner analyst. “The console occupies a unique position in the market as a fun game console that is for the whole family.”

Nintendo may not have to cut prices just yet, but consumers may wonder about price reductions since Nintendo rivals have already made the cut. Microsoft slashed its Xbox 360 price, and last month Sony cut the price of its PlayStation 2 after 10 years of the device’s availability.

“Microsoft and Sony cannot position their consoles in the same way [as the Wii] because it would alienate their core gamer customer,” said Gartner’s Baker. “There is little price pressure from either competitor.”

The only exception is the PlayStation 2, which will put some pressure on the Wii, noted Baker, adding that the pressure will be minimal because the device is seen as the last generation’s console.

Since the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, 28 million units have been sold worldwide. The console’s figures put it ahead of Sony’s PlayStation 3, which has sold approximately 20 million units since its launch in 2006.

(Source) NewsFactor

Having teased us of a new art style for Borderlands, developer Gearbox has provided a glimpse of the game’s revised appearance through the cover of the next PC Gamer.

"The image is an in-game screenshot with no post process," stated Gearbox.

The game blends gunplay with traditional RPG mechanics and is slated for release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 before the end of the year.

If you want to know more about the new style, you’ll have to wait till Monday, as their website teases of “more” information on that particular day.

The awesomeness of Killzone 2 continues, as Guerilla Games has announced a new map pack for the first-person shooter. Set for release by the end of the month, the pack will offer two new multiplayer maps.

No pricing was given for the pack, which is titled “Steel & Titanium”. Vektra Cruiser is the first map, offering a vertically-oriented arena set in an ISA flagship. The other map is Wasteland Bullet, which features two speeding trains that allow players to hop between them.

All this was revealed by studio director Herman Hulst in an interview on Gametrailers TV. He also teased that a second map pack is in development and that it will include a “retro” map.

In keeping with the music news in these parts, developer Harmonix has detailed next week’s batch of downloadable content for the Rock Band platform: the entirety of Guns n’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” album.

Thirteen of the album’s tracks will be released as DLC; the fourteenth song is already on the game’s disc.

The full album can be bought for 1600 Microsoft points ($20) or individual tracks for 160 points ($2).

• "Chinese Democracy"
• "Better"
• "Street of Dreams"
• "If the World"
• "There Was a Time"
• "Catcher in the Rye"
• "Scraped"
• "Riad n’ the Bedouins"
• "Sorry"
• "I.R.S."
• "Madagascar"
• "This I Love"
• "Prostitute"

Expect the songs to hit Xbox Live and Wii on April 14, followed by a PS3 release two days later.

Some more songs that will be featured in the impending release of Guitar Hero Smash Hits have been revealed by Activision today.

• "Bark At The Moon" – Ozzy Osbourne
• "Message In A Bottle" – The Police
• "Carry On Wayward Son" – Kansas
• "Free Bird" – Lynyrd Skynyrd

The game will feature 48 songs that revisit past entries in the franchise. Previously guitar-only songs will be getting the full-band treatment.

More tracks are set to be announced every Thursday, noted Activision. They have also put up an online poll on the game’s site to determine the order in which the songs are unveiled.

Extending the idea of collector’s editions to ludicrously expensive levels, publishers Eidos and Warner Bros. have officially announced the CE for Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this summer.

Priced at $100, a $40 premium over most other collector’s editions, the package will come with the game bundled with a 14″ Batarang (with stand) that matches the in-game design; a full, embossed leather dust jacketed Arkham doctor’s journal; 2 sleeve Digipak containing the game disc and a behind-the-scenes DVD; and a code for the exclusive downloadable challenge map “Crime Alley”. Oh, and a full-color manual.

As a silver lining of sorts, the regular PC version of the game will cost $49.99, $10 cheaper than the console versions.

While the viral marketing website gave us some interesting hints and details to mull over, nothing satisfies your appetite for news quite like the meaty taste of actual gameplay footage. It looks like the first one for Bioshock 2 has hit the internet. Go here to see it first, because I’m going to be spoiling some of the details after the break. READ ON »