Nintendo drops prices on DSi and DSi XL

Effective May 20, the suggested retail price for the Nintendo DSi XL drops from $169.99 to $129.99 and the Nintendo DSi goes from $149.99 to $99.99.

Currently, over 2,000 packaged and downloadable games are available for Nintendo DS devices; both of these systems come preloaded with software such as Flipnote Studio, the Nintendo DSi Camera and Nintendo DSi Sound. The XL version also includes pre-installed games like Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock.

EVE Online celebrates 9th year with player gifts

In recognition of nine successful years of EVE Online, CCP Games is offering players their choice of anniversary gifts, including weapons, skills, tools and collector’s items.

In a recent message to EVE players, the company detailed the free stuff available to fans of the MMO starting May 4 – two days before the nine-year birthday of EVE Online.The offer will be live through June 4 and players will use a redemption process to pick out their gift and give them to their favorite character.

Epic Mickey 2 set for fall release

When Epic Mickey came out for the Nintendo Wii in 2010, it marked a departure from Disney’s apparent game strategy by highlighting older characters in an original, motion-controlled adventure – and it was a blast to play. Fans who have wondered about the possibility of a multi-platform sequel now have their answer: Disney Interactive Studios has announced the upcoming release of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, set to be available on Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.

This time around the game will feature a new playable character. Players can control either Mickey himself, or Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Walt Disney’s first cartoon star) as they team up for another adventure in Wasteland.

Submission call for DCGames Fest 2012

The second annual DCGames Festival 2012 will be held on September 1, 2012 in Washington D.C. at the Tidal Basin’s West Potomac Park. The festival, a big outdoor urban game showcase, is currently looking for submissions from game designers and developers.

The idea of this festival is to show off games for big groups of people in real-world spaces (Big Games) and bring gamers and the surrounding D.C. community together. It doesn’t matter if the game is an app or even pen and paper; all are welcome. DCGames wants the festival to be the massively multiplayer event of the year.

BioShock Infinite delayed till February

2K Games announced today that BioShock Infinite, the much-anticipated third game in the BioShock franchise, has a new launch date in 2013: February 26.

Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, said, “When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing. Since then, we’ve uncovered opportunities to make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need to deliver the best Infinite possible, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February.”

First episode of The Walking Dead is now available

Telltale Games has announced that the first episode of The Walking Dead games series, based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series, is now available on PlayStation Network, PC and Mac. It will release tomorrow, April 27, on Xbox LIVE Marketplace as well.

This episodic game in five parts lets players take on the role of Lee Everett, a convicted murderer who finds a chance for redemption in a new world populated by zombies. They’ll get to choose their path as they meet familiar characters and visit locations from the world.

Mass Effect 3 crosses over into Final Fantasy world

This week, Japanese gaming news mag Famitsu shocked fans with the announcement that Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII-2 and BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 would become intertwined.
Starting in Japan next week, wearable Mass Effect 3 armor will be available as DLC for FFXII-2. It’s simply an aesthetic effect, but looks great.

Alongside this shocking reveal, a DLC pack for Final Fantasy XIII-2 containing the kooky Final Fantasy veterans Ultros and Typhon was unveiled. The cantankerous comedians will be added to the infamous Colosseum. Upon defeat, they will be playable in the victor’s party.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II officially announced

After months of speculation spurred by leaks and rumors, Activision Publishing, Inc. and Treyarch have finally, officially announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be released November 13, 2012.

The game will be set in the year 2025, during a global conflict with advanced weaponry, robotics and drone warfare in a Cold War scenario. A press release from Activision says the game will feature new graphics technology to drive “the stunning cinematic action of the single-player campaign’s branching storylines and non-linear missions.”

Rumor: Sony source reveals next generation plans?

Rumors and speculation about the next generation of consoles has been filtering to gamers more often lately, and we’re all interested to see what the big three – Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft – have in mind.  Recently, Kotaku revealed information about Sony’s next generation plans, which the gaming publication claims it received from an unnamed source that has been reliable in the past.

Kotaku’s source reveals a few key points: firstly, the successor to the PlayStation 3 may be named Orbis. It’s still unclear whether this is a code name or a final name, although the existence of a website named orbis.scedev.net seems to hint at the latter – especially since the PS Vita had a site similarly named before was officially announced. Secondly, the system is expected to be out in time for the holiday season in 2013. Kotaku’s source says that select companies have been receiving development kits since the beginning of the year.

EverQuest now free-to-play

Last week Sony Online Entertainment announced that, to celebrate the 13th (yes you read that right – the 13th) anniversary of EverQuest, the original MMORPG was going free-to-play.  The fantasy-themed game, which has been around since 1999 and can boast 18 expansions, celebrated its birthday with this gift to fans.

Now the game will not only be free to play, but other choices will be offered to suit the needs of players.  They can utilize recurring vs. non-recurring subscriptions and Free, Silver ($5.00 USD), and Gold ($14.99 USD/month) memberships.