Call of Duty has become one of the most popular FPS franchises in the world. Not only did Modern Warfare 2 cause massive waves, Black Ops only just recently hit store shelves and was no different. However, now that Call of Duty: Black Ops has been on the market for quit some time, Treyarch is already starting to think towards the future. And by the future I mean a DLC map pack dubbed First Strike.
Confirmed by Microsoft’s own Major Nelson, the First Strike Black Ops DLC pack will be hitting on February 1st exclusively for the Xbox 360. According to Nelson, this pack will focus mostly on multiplayer but will also include a single map for use with the game’s popular zombie mode.
Like I said above, the First Strike DLC pack will be hitting first for the Xbox 360 with the PS3 version coming at a later date.
The announcement that the latest Final Fantasy would not be exclusive to the PS3 had Sony fanboys everywhere disappointed. However, those with Sony’s precious console won’t be getting completely shafted as as the Final Fantasy XIII launch party, Son’y Rob Dyer took center stage to announce some exclusive content for the PS3 version.
This content is both a secret in-game item for the forthcoming Final Fantasy XIV and a chance at a key for the FFXIV beta. Just a chance? Come on Sony, you can do better than that.
Now before you get too excited about Capcom releasing an Xbox 360 exclusive, make note that there has been no official word regarding what this means which means it could mean pretty much anything. Anyways, the above image has appeared on the Japanese Xbox website that reads Capcom x Microsoft.
With an educated guess, one would assume that Capcom and Microsoft are collaborating to create an Xbox 360 exclusive (as stated in the corner). Like mentioned previously, there is no telling if this is a Japanese only announcement or what but we’ll keep you posted.
As of now, there is arguably no incentive to buy the DSi over the DS Lite other than the camera and the fact that it’s the latest and greatest. However, it seems that the handheld console will be getting its first exclusive game from Alpha Unit entitled Monster Finder, not to be confused with Capcom’s Monster Hunter.
Players will reportedly use the DSi’s built-in camera to collect various monsters, but that’s all we have to go by for now.
In terms of a release date, our sources say it will hit Japan sometime this winter with no mention of a worldwide release.
In Europe, Ghostbusters: The Video Gameused to have an exclusivity contract for only Sony platforms. Today, we get release dates for the long awaited multiplatform release of the game.
Namco Bandai Partners has confirmed that Ghostbusters will be released for the Xbox 360, PC, Wii and Nintendo DS on October 23rd.
If you want a good idea of how the game will be, be sure to check out our review of the US version of the game.
Ubisoft’s forums are abuzz with talk about the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction. People are discussing features, plotlines, whether they enjoy the idea of a character actually aging as games go by (Sam Fisher is in his fifties in this title), the usual sorts of pre-release forum chatter. Ubisoft has started a thread allowing fans to pose questions to the developers, with some of them being answered in the weeks to come.
Of course, one of the first questions posed had to do with whether or not we’d be seeing the game released for PS3 as well as the Xbox 360. Though the Splinter Cell games so far have been exclusive to Microsoft consoles, most third party developers and publishers are putting out their games for any capable system. Most have cited this as a better business practice, so it would seem that Ubisoft could be going down the same path.
Ubisoft has put paid to any rumors about a multiplatform release, citing that Splinter Cell is a ‘true Microsoft exclusive title’. They begin with pointing out that there’s a historical link between the console and the games, saying that the original Splinter Cell was the first game to truly utilize the Xbox’s potential. In response Microsoft was excited about the game and supported it heavily, leading to what they referred to as a “link of heart” between the two. Finally they point out that by focusing on a single console they can devote more time to completely optimizing the game for its single system.
Mega-game-retailer GameStop has recently announced that those who pre-order Madden NFL 10 for either the Xbox 360 or PS3 will get access to an exclusive demo towards the end of July. Regardless of when you pre-order the game the demo codes won’t be made available until July 15th. Said demo will feature 4 5-minute quarters with the Pittsburg Steelers and Arizona Cardinals as the playable teams.
Considering the loyal following of the Madden NFL series, this promotion probably wasn’t necessary but is a welcome one. For those of you who don’t know the latest rendition of the game, Madden NFL 10, will be out for the Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Xbox 360, PSP, iPhone/iPod Touch, Wii and Nintendo DS on August 14th.
It looks like Sony has finally taken a hint and contracted one of their most loyal developers, Konami, to give the PSP’s game library a little wake up call — Recently announced during E3 is Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, a PSP exclusive that isn’t a port in any way shape or form.
Peace Walker apparantly takes place 10 years after the happenings of Metal Gear Solid 3 and stars none other than Solid Snake. The best part, however, is that Hideo Kojima will be diverting his attention away from the Xbox 360 Metal Gear to focus completely on Peace Walker which means it’s sure to be a hit.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will be released for the PSP sometime in 2010.
Halo-heads will be happy to hear that Microsoft has announced that the $99 Collector’s Edition of Halo 3: ODST will include the above limited edition controller.
Microsoft made it a point that this controller will only be available with Halo 3: ODST and no where else. Then again, there’s always eBay.
But anyways, Halo 3: ODST will be made available for the Xbox 360 in September.
Tie-in games and licensed IP games are usually published for as many systems as possible, going for a quick round of sales in as many markets as possible. Ghostbusters: The Video Game is no exception with versions coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS and PC.
Sony has cornered a small part of the market for this highly anticipated game however as non-Sony platform versions of the game will only be launching in North American markets. For Europe and PAL territories it’s going to be a Playstation exclusive title, with the PS3 and PS2 versions launching on June 19th along with the re-release of the film on Blu-ray. The PSP title will be available for those territories in Autumn of this year.
