Skyrim PS3 DLC's finally hitting in February, 50% off at launch

Bethesda has finally figured it out. All three of Skyrim's DLC's will be heading to PS3 this February. First up, the Dragonborn DLC.

They didn't give a specific date for when each add-on content will be available on PSN, but they did give the order of release. The latest DLC Dragonborn will be first, followed by Hearthfire, then Dawnguard.

On launch, each DLC will be 50% off on the first week, a way of compensation for PS3 players that waited for months to get their hands on the content.

The 1.8 patch will also hit February prior to the Dragonborn release, so get ready to patch up.

For PC players, Dragonborn will be available in Steam on February 5.

[Source: Bethesda Blog]

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel Overkill trailer

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel gets a new trailer that goes all out with explosions, destruction, and more explosions. 

Devil's Cartel is equipped with Battlefield 3's Frostbite 2 engine. Just wanted to throw that out since that was a lot of destruction shown in less than 2 minutes.

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel comes out on March 26, for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Pick 5: Franchises that need a reboot

With the release of DmC this week, it was only fitting to place this week's Pick 5 about reboots. Which franchise deserves a reset? Successful or forgotten, there are titles that we wish their developers could just toss everything and recreate it. Here are five video games that need a reboot..

Turok

Remember the N64 version of Turok? Turok: Dinosaur Hunter? I'm not sure about you guys but this game was one of my personal favorites during the N64 era. Released in 1997, this game was named a Doom clone, but I don't think Doom had Raptors spawning right in front of you. In a span of 6 years, the Turok franchise spawn four sequels:Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Turok: Rage Wars, Turok 3: Oblivion, and Turok: Evolution. As the series moved forward, it slowly lost its edge and became a standard shooter.

Fast forward to 2008, we find Turok, a reboot of the series for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. But it fell head first to the ground and never got back up. Turok, which is actually based on  a comic book series of the same name, still has a lot of potential. An FPS dinosaur hunter with Far Cry 3 quality would come out as a day one purchase in my book, granted that I get to fight a T-Rex with a bow and tons of exploding arrows on hand. You never know, a second reboot might be the charm.

Xenogears

Back in the Playstation one days,  JRPGs were everywhere! Just like how FPS are today. Wild Arms, Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, Tales of Destiny, Legend of Mana, Legend of Dragoon, oh I can go on and on. While I could simple say any of those titles mentioned deserve a reboot, one title sticks when I think about a JRPG reboot, and that is Xenogears. A true classic and one game that I could replay over and over.

Aside from the great sprite animation that blended well with the 3D graphics, what drew me in the most was the game's martial arts combat system, which allows players to make combos and discover new skills when applying the right combination. These mechanics were also used during the mech battles when the characters pilot their mechs called "Gears", which served as a whole different take on the combat. It was a great system and to this day I still hope to find an RPG similar to that style.

Xenogears was first released for Playstation in 1998, and it was only until 2002 when another title emerged, but not as a sequel, but as a "spiritual successor". Xenosaga trilogy was revealed and is a re-imagining of the Xenogears universe. Sadly nothing about Xenosaga got my attention. It was a different game, I quickly lost interest and did not even bother with the second and third game. It was successful though to a certain extent, but development stopped when the trilogy was complete.

They had a good thing with Xenogears, and if they reboot Xenogears and not go through the Xenosaga route, I can see it being a more successful franchise.

Resident Evil

Well this was a no brainer. Resident Evil. A franchise that defined the survival horror genre. First released in 1996 on the PlayStation, Resident Evil was one of the few games that would make you jump while playing. Everybody remembers the first cut-scene when Chris encounters his first zombie. This is a classic franchise that just kept growing after each title release. But sadly, Resident Evil evolved into a more action-oriented franchise. Exhibit A: The Resident Evil movies, Exhibit B: Resident Evil 6. Resident Evil slowly exited the survival horror genre and quickly jumped into the lines of action adventure and third person shooter.

The evolution was noticeable during Resident Evil 4, the first Resident Evil game that abandoned the still camera method of past games, and replaced it with an over the shoulder camera. Plus, no more zombies. Then Resident Evil 5 came and introduced co-op for the first time. Again, no traditional zombies, and had gameplay that was more about the action than anything else. Then the evolution was complete. The Resident Evil franchise has finally transformed itself into a non-resident evil  game in Resident Evil 6, with all the Hollywood explosions and mindless shooting that would make any of those Resident Evil movie directors proud. Don't get me started with the story.

This franchise screams for a reboot. Go back to your roots Capcom. Get the story close to at least  sane levels, and Get this generation of gamers a good scare for once. Capcom has clearly ran out of ideas with their latest entries, and it only makes sense to just start over.

Baldur's Gate

Before Bioware paired up with EA, they were once known as the creators Baldur's Gate. This fantasy RPG is a true PC classic. The first game was released back in 1998 and I still remember my love of the magic missile spell and the amazing feature of pausing combat by simply pressing a button in order to plan out your moves. From the release of the first game all the way up to 2001, Bioware has released an expansion for the original game, a sequel, and an expansion for the sequel.

From there, Bioware moved on, and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was born. With a new developer on hand, they tried to make something different with Dark Alliance, and it became an action RPG game  similar to Diablo. The hack and slash did well enough to earn itself a sequel, but after that, no more Baldur's Gate game. The last game with Baldur's Gate in its title was Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 released in 2004. It has been nearly a decade since we got another Baldur's Gate game and it's a shame really. Atari released Enhanced editions of the first two games last year, but no true sequel until now. With the big success of Dragon Age (successor to the Baldur's Gate franchise since they share the same gameplay mechanics), I think Bioware should really consider Baldur's Gate again.

Crash Bandicoot

PlayStation One's original mascot in my eyes, Crash Bandicoot is one game that needs to return. Crash Bandicoot first appeared in 1996 under the now famous developers Naughty Dog ( Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, The Last of Us), this platformer was one of  my favorites growing up. It was no Mario, but it's definitely Sony's best in that genre. From 1996 - 2008, 7  main Crash Bandicoot titles were made, with the last four titles not developed by Naughty Dog. Spin-offs like Crash Team Racing and other titles brought the franchise to other genres, but they were nothing compared to the original three.

The last  game released was Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2, which is an iOS title released by Activision. Why the sudden disappearance? I'm not too sure, but I'm sure it has something to do with legal rights to the series. Hopefully a miracle happens, and we see Crash make a glorious comeback. I'm still holding the torch demanding Sony to include Crash Bandicoot in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. The game just seems wrong without him.

What about you? Got any games in mind that are in dire need of a reboot? Hit the comments below.

Out this week: DmC, Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt

This week marks the start of the New Year for gaming. First big title to be released is Ninja Theory's DmC. Also, if you need one more reason to revisit Pandora, the next DLC for Borderlands 2 is set to be released this week.

DmC: Devil May Cry

DmC is set in a parallel universe in the Devil May Cry series, but in short, this is a reboot. A reboot with a new look for Dante but with the good old gameplay seen in previous titles. The hack and slash beat 'em up is out on January 15 for NA, and january 17 for Japan, but for us? We get it on Wednesday. Datablitz announced via their Facebook page that DmC will be available on January 16.

Pre-ordering the game through Datablitz is still available, but the offer only lasts until the 15th. If you pre-order, you get a Dante shirt, a cellphone case for your iPhone, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note II (What?), and three DLC packs.

These DLC packs are the Bone Pack, Gold Pack, and Samurai Pack:

The Samurai Pack gives a new samurai weapon skin for Dante's axe, scythe , and shotgun. You even get additional orbs to use at the start of the game to upgrade or purchase items or skills.

The Bone pack is another skin set that transforms Dante's weapons in crafted bone weapons. You also get an Orb Harvester character ability that allows the player to gather orbs faster.

Last but not least, the gold pack. It gives yet another skin that turns Dante's axe, scythe, and shotgun into gold. You will also earn the item finder character perk that assists players in finding hidden items.

Datablitz has not given the price for DmC, but they did give a price range from P1,900 - P2100. The game will be released on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 (region-free), with the PC version to be released on a later date.

Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt

The third DLC for Borderlands 2 is Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt. This is a campaign add-on which Gearbox highly suggest players to tackle once they finished the game or hit level 30. Included in the DLC will be new missions, new zone, new skins, new enemies, and of course more loot. It will cost you $9.99/ 800 MS points, or free if you purchased the season pass. It will be available for download on January 15.

Oh, and just in case you missed it...

Anarchy Reigns

The online multiplayer beat 'em up is now available in the Philippines. The game is priced at P1,395 for both PS3 and Xbox360 at Datablitz. Thanks to this game coming out in Japan months ago, we have quite a cheap game that's considered "new" to most gamers.

If you want to see what else is coming in the coming weeks, check out our Q1 2013 post that lists all the big titles coming in the first three months of the year.

Weekend! What are you playing?

It's the weekend again! Everybody loves Fridays, some go out and have a great night out, while some like to kick back pop in a game and relax. I'm sure most of you are still trying to knock off a few titles to lessen your backlog pile. Me? I'll keep my backlog big for now, because I again see myself revisiting a game that came out in 2011. The arrow in the knee pic above pretty much sums up what I'm playing this weekend. What are you playing?

Carlos: SKYRIMMM! Yea... I decided to continue my ranger that I started last Tuesday. When I first played the game back when it was released, I took a risk and got the 360 version. I enjoyed my time in Skyrim  with a controller, regardless of the horrible loading times, graphic lags, and  mammoths falling from the sky. This time though, I want to play the game right, so I'm going  to be playing the PC version which is a first for me. I might also play a few League of Legends games if my friends bother me enough via Skype.

Migoy: Been busy with some stuff lately so I don't know if I'm gonna be able to play anything this weekend but I do need to get on that Anarchy Reigns playthrough. Aside from that I also want to play more Persona 4 Arena ranked matches just for kicks. I also just found out last night that you can play with up to 3 other people locally in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. I always thought that the multiplayer aspect was online only. I won't do a video of it now but it does give me an idea of what I can do with it in the future.