BIG THREE

-Upcoming Nintendo 3DS games include New Super Mario Bros. 2, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Kingdom Hearts 3D. Third-party titles: Transformers Prime, Rabbids Rumble, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and Heroes of Ruin.

-Upcoming PS Vita releases include the Assassin’s Creed III Liberation PS Vita Bundle, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, LittleBig Planet and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

-Upcoming PS3 releases include God of War: Ascension, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, BEYOND: Two Souls, The Last of Us, LittleBigPlanet Karting, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. PSN and indie games include Sound Shapes, When Vikings Attack, Journey Collection and The Unfinished Swan. Wonderbook: Book of Spells features content written by J.K. Rowling.

-Upcoming Xbox 360 releases include, of course, Halo 4, Forza Horizon, Fable: The Journey, Gears of War: Judgment coming this holiday. Also: Dance Central 3, Ascend: New Gods, Wreckateer, Matter, Lococycle, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Madden NFL 2013, FIFA 2013, Resident Evil 6, Tomb Raider, Avatar Motocross Madness, Happy Wars, Joe Danger: The Movie, Mark of the Ninja.

GAME RELEASES

-Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the 3DS is coming out November 18, 2012, which is the same date that Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2 is being released for the consoles.

-Lace Mamba Global’s 3D horror adventure Lucius for PC has a release date of October 26 online and in stores.

-NCSoft’s platformer/shooter Project 83113 is now in the App Store for $.99.

-Big Ideas Digital’s new “Fantasy Movies” DLC for Say What You See: The Collection, is out as of today for $.99 as an in-app purchase.

-Chillingo is releasing two new games: fairy tale puzzle Catapult King from Wicked Witch Software ($.99) and Tiny Troopers from Kukouri Mobile Entertainment ($4.99 with a $2.99 launch sale).

-2K Play and Nickeleon’s launch lineup includes Nickelodeon Dance 2 (consoles), Bubble Guppies (DS), Dora & Team Umizoomi’s Fantastic Flight (DS).

-Menace of the Underdark, a new expansion to Dungeons and Dragons Online, will be out June 25.

-The fourth major expansion to The Lord of the Rings Online, Riders of Rohan, is out today and launches this autumn in the U.K.

-Trine 2 from Frozenbyte is being developed exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii U, set to be launched this holiday season.

-Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Special Editions Football Bundle is now out for British fans at a price of £9.49 at the PlayStation Store.

-Ubisoft, which wowed crowds early at E3, released its lineup for the Wii U, including Assassin’s Creed III, Just Dance 4, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, Rabbids Land, Rayman Legends, Sports Connection, Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013, and ZombiU.

-Activision showed off Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants and TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON. It will also release The Amazing Spider-Man later this year, 007 Legends, and Family guy: Back to the Multiverse.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse – Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse features an all-new original narrative which is an expansion on the popular episode, “Road to the Multiverse”, turning the outrageous world of Family Guy into an action-packed video game filled with nods to the long-running comedy.  Playing as either Stewie or Brian, each with unique abilities and weapons, players will battle their favourite Family Guy characters as they advance through ‘Multiverse’ themed levels in their pursuit to battle Stewie’s evil twin, Bertram, who has returned and is hell-bent on destroying Quahog.  Fans will also be able to team up in co-op multiplayer mode or compete against each other in competitive multiplayer levels – all with a Family Guy twist. (Developed by Heavy Iron for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system; not yet rated.)

AWARDS

- Konami’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance receives the “Most Valuable Game” Award from The Official Xbox Magazine, The Official PlayStation Magazine, GamesRadar.com, and gets nomination for “Best Action/Adventure Game” from Machinima.com

-Konami’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Mirror of Fate gets “Most Valuable Game” Award from Nintendo Power; the trailer for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is nominated for Best E3 Trailer

NEWS

-NAMCO BANDAI announces that Snoop Dogg will create an original song, “Knocc ‘Em Down” for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and will make an appearance as an NPC in The Snoop Dogg Stage as a pre-order bonus.

-Starting today, players can create guilds in the browser-based game Forge of Empires as they build a city and develop it through the centuries.

PERIPHERALS

-Upcoming from Turtle Beach: Ear Force M7 headset, Ear Force ZLa headset, Ear Force PLa & XLa, licensed gaming headsets for Nintendo’s Wii U, Limited Edition Call of Duty: Black Ops II Gaming Headsets, and a partnership with Major League Gaming.

NINTENDO:

Also spotlighted was the Wii Fit U. The company showcased asymmetric play in Luigi’s Mansion, which require players to cooperate, since those watching the TV and not the GamePad can’t see the ghost that’s chasing them. The Wii U will also be integrated with Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube and Amazon Video.

And for the 3DS: New Super Mario Bros. 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and LEGO City: Undercover from TT Games.

Already announced games from Ubisoft for the Wii U include ZombiU, Assassin’s Creed III,  Your Shape and Rayman Legends.

The Wii U Tablet and Dock

From Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition:

Also highlighted: the announcements of Rayman Legends, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Just Dance 4, Dead Space 3, Spec Ops: The Line co-op, Ascend: New Gods, Battlefield Premium service, Dance Central 3, Splinter Cell: Blacklist,  SimCity Social for Facebook. New content is coming for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Microsoft’s music service will be called Microsoft Music. There’s plenty of news this week, so stay tuned!

Here’s the full image of Ellie from The Last of Us:

And here’s one from Watch Dogs:

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.

Also on May 20, the new purple 3DS will be available. Nintendo hopes to take advantage of shoppers purchasing gifts for Father’s Day, graduations, and the start of the summer travel season.

Will you buy a DSi? Or a purple 3DS? Let us know in the comments.

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.”

Originally planned for October 2012, the title from Irrational Games is an intelligent first-person shooter that allows player to take on the role of Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt. He’s sent to the flying city of Columbia to rescue a young girl who has been imprisoned there. The game is expected to utilize Sky-Line battles, sky combat and plenty of new weapons and abilities.

For more information on the game, visit www.bioshockinfinite.com.

How do you feel about the delay? Was this one of your most anticipated games of 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.”

CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg said, “Hands down, this is the most ambitious Call of Duty ever. We are bringing disruptive innovation to the franchise and we are doing it on several fronts. We’re pushing the boundaries technologically, graphically, and from a narrative and gameplay perspective. At the same time, we need to stay true to the epic realism, authenticity, heart-pumping adrenaline, and cinematic action that so many people love and expect from a Call of Duty game. Treyarch’s vision for Call of Duty: Black Ops II will redefine the Call of Duty franchise for the future – both literally and figuratively.

Studio Head Mark Lamia of Treyarch confirmed that Zombies will run on the multiplayer engine for the first time. He also noted that all skill levels and play styles will be accommodated in multiplayer, while in the campaign players will be able to make meaningful choices that impact gameplay. “With Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the team is crafting an experience that Call of Duty fans have never seen before,” Lamia said. “We are challenging assumptions on every front, with the single-player campaign, Zombies and multiplayer.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops was released in 2010 to high acclaim and remains one of the industry’s best selling games. Check out the announcement trailer on our DayMark News Youtube.com site:

 Will you purchase the game? Do you love CoD? What’s your take on the first BlOps? Let us know in the comments.

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.

The message from CCP said: “Here’s all the options. In their own special way, they each celebrate changes that just came in the Escalation to Inferno patch.

• Fire All Lasers (with Dignity) – Omen and Maller (Cruisers) + Medium Energy Turret and Amarr Cruisers (Skill Books)
• Duty, Honor, State (and Missiles) – Caracal and Moa (Cruisers) + Assault Missiles, Medium Hybrid Turret, Heavy Missiles, Caldari Cruiser (Skill Books)
• Deadly Elegance (Drones Extra) – Vexor and Thorax (Cruisers) + Medium Hybrid Turret and Gallente Cruisers (Skill Books)
• Heavy Iron (Rusted) – Stabber and Rupture (Cruisers) + Assault Missiles, Medium Projectile Turret, Heavy Missiles, Minmatar Cruiser (Skill Books)
• Plug and Play - Full set of +2 Attribute Implants (Limited Ocular Filter Beta, Limited Neural Boost Beta…etc…)
• Refine Your Skills - Memory Augmentation Standard and Cybernetic Subprocessor Standard (Implants) + Scrapmetal, Ice and all other ore Processing (Skillbooks)
• Drill Bits - 10x each ore mining crystal I’s (10x Arkonor Mining Crystal I, 10x Bistot Mining Crystal I…etc…10 x Veldspar Mining Crystal I)
• A Paxist Treasure - Pax Ammaria – Collector’s Item”

Eligible pilots who don’t get around to selecting one of these options will receive a default gift at the end of the offer – the Plug and Play set.

CCP also promises that the 10-year anniversary celebration in 2013 will be even better. “Like any good capsuleer corporation, we’ve got some plans and machinations in motion behind the scenes…” ended the message from the EVE Online Development Team.

Among these is the next big expansion for the multiplayer behemoth, EVE Online: Inferno, which is expected May 22.

Visit EVE Online here to redeem your anniversary gift.

Do you play EVE Online? Which gift will you choose? Sound off in the comments below.

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.
The first episode, called “A New Day,” sells for $4.99 on PSN and will be available for 400 MS Points on Xbox LIVE. On PC and Mac, players may purchase a season pass to obtain all five episodes for $24.99. The Walking Dead will also be released for Apple’s iOS platform later in the summer.

Here’s a story trailer for “A New Day”:

Will you pick it up? Let us know in the comments below.

The upgrade for Skyrim will utilize Kinect’s voice control capabilities, allowing players to use special vocal powers called Dragon Shouts. It will also let them arm weapons, activate spells and order companions about. Players can voice commands to jump to cities on the map and sort their inventory by weight, value or name. In all, around 200 voice commands will be available.

Kinect capability has been on the boards for Bethesda for some time; the studio says it began working on the project shortly after Skyrim’s November release. Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Pete Hines told cnn.com that developers wished to add something substantial to the game that did not exist when Skyrim was originally released.

The functionality will be available for English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish gamers. The English version will be first, with other languages not far behind.

Skyrim is an epic RPG in which the gamer is a warrior who discovers he has the blood and soul of a dragon. In this open-world style role-playing game, players can ignore the main storyline in favor of side quests and challenges. The 2011 title is considered to be one of the biggest releases of last year.

Sources: cnn.com, gamedynamo.com

Think this is a good update for Skyrim? Let us know in the comments!

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.

The new Orbis is rumored to not be backwards compatible with the PS3. The Sony source also said that games will be Blu-ray or downloadable only. As expected, thanks to industry outrage about profits from used games not getting back to developers and publishers, the system will not allow used games to work; purchasing the disc will lock the game to a single PlayStation Network account. If a buyer purchases a used game, he or she will only have access to limited content and must pay a fee to access the entire game. And gamers must have both a PSN account and Internet connectability to be able to play any game; it’s unclear whether gamers must have a paid PSN account or the free version.

The rumored specs of this new console are AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU. The GPU would allow the new Sony system to display a resolution of up to 4096 x 2160, a number beyond what current high-definition TVs offer. The Orbis is also said to be able to play 3D games in 1080p, which is true HD and beyond the capabilities of the PS3.

Whatever the truth is, it looks to be an interesting next go-round with Sony!

Source: Kotaku

Are you looking forward to the next generation of console gaming? Will you put the PS Orbis on your Christmas list next year? Let us know in the comments!