As most of you may know, back when Kinect’s price was offically announced Microsoft also announced an Xbox 360S arcade + Kinect Bundle for $299.

Well, the console creators put out a press release this morning and guess what was announced. They announced “The Ultimate Bundle”, which includes a 250gb Xbox 360S, Kinect, and Kinect Adventures. It will retail for $400. This will release along side all the other Kinect items on November 4th in the United States. They announced Europe will get all the Kinect stuff November 10th.

Will you be getting this or one of the other Kinect bundles?

-DarkIDefender

I suppose before I begin this review I should clarify a few things, first and most importantly this review will be as spoiler free as possible. You should also know that I am a huge Mass Effect fan, having played through both Mass Effect 1 & 2 multiple times and own all the DLC for both games, including armor packs and Pinnacle Station. While playing this DLC I used a level 30 Paragon soldier who had already completed the main story. I should also note that my character is imported from Mass Effect 1, where I never romanced Liara, but from my understanding the romance is at least addressed and potentially continued.

Now to get to my opinions, this DLC is absolutely the best and longest of any Mass Effect DLC. Without saying to much about the plot of the DLC it takes you through various locations, and even has a car chase! Though the majority of the 2-3 hours of playtime will be spent dispatching various enemies, there is also a fair bit of exploration and dialogue to go through. There are several twists on the gameplay, but saying them could be considered spoiler territory so I’ll leave that alone. After completing the DLC there are plenty of interesting things to do, but describing them may ruin the story for you so I won’t. Despite the serious tone of this DLC there is a good amount of humor, though some may only be amusing to Mass Effect 1 players.

Overall this DLC though perhaps a bit short, is easily worth the price of admission. If you, like me, still sink far too many hours into Mass Effect 2 it is a must buy. If you only play occasionally I would still pick this DLC up, as it will add several hours of new content that is some of the best the game has to offer.

Final Score: 9.5/10
+
Gameplay Twists
Interesting new story
Car chases

-
A bit short

Bungie posted this video on their blog today. It’s really quite interesting, and provides for some interesting incite into sound design for video games.

“HALO: REACH” Game Audio Profile from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Yes and that’s all I got to do. There were a few lucky winners drawn at random at the Kinect Panel and I wasn’t one of them. However two days prior I got to meet Major Nelson and he let me play with his new toy. I will admit however that being as star struck as I was to have Major Nelson with his arm around me taking pictures I really couldn’t focus on what was in my hand till Sunday, after speaking to one of the lucky winners. Besides actually getting to play a game to feel the improvements of the D-Pad I got to twist it in and out and see how cool it actually is. As you can see in the picture I do have some fingernail which helped twist the D-Pad in and out but not sure if it’s as easy without them. It did feel very durable so no need to worry about it breaking on you. The other major thing with the new controller is the lack of color. The buttons are no longer colored coded and some of the buttons especially X, is not easily seen unless you have light in the room. When i mentioned this to Major Nelson he told me that the controller is not for a newb, its more for people like you and me who already know the layout of the buttons. So unless you were one of the lucky winners at PAX, you’ll have to wait till November 9th to get your mitts on this.

It is not Saturday, but with PAX this weekend there has been so much news, that I figured why wait. If any of you went to PAX, and have some Halo related pictures you would like shared email them to me. So without further adieu, here is your Halo PAX Update. Continue Reading…

Hey all! I just wanted to let everyone know that we will not be posting a podcast this week and we will be back next week with episode 108. Our schedules were packed this week and we could not get together to record. We know you will understand, but we are sorry and will see you next week. Thanks for listening!

–bjswick33

Today at PAX during the Gearbox panel, Randy Pitchford told the fans some exciting news. There will be an upcoming level cap. It’ll be from the current 61 to the new 69. They didn’t want to make the raise by 11 like the General Knoxx DLC. They also didn’t want it to be too low, like say 5. So, they decided on 8.

This update will be free and will and will also include rebalancing to accomodate the level cap increase.

This update will be available around the time of the release of the Borderlands GOTY Edition, which is October 12.

Are you tired of playing music on fake plastic guitars?  Do you yearn for the chance to play with a real quitar using strings instead of colored buttons?  Well, soon you can see if you have what it takes to play the real thing when Power Gig: Rise of the Six String arrives.  And here is the full list of songs that you will be able to try to play.  Good Luck.

Continue Reading…

It’s Saturday, so you know what that means, another Halo Weekly Update! Once again this is more of a prototype than the final product, so as always feedback is welcomed and appreciated. This week has a fair share of news, and I’ve even decided to add a new section in the Update. Continue Reading…

With a name like Duke Nukem Forever its no surprise that its still in development. After the closing of 3d realms most of us considered Duke Nukem to take forever to arrive but 2k and Gearbox are making sure that you will get Duke Nukem Forever some time if the future. They announced the continuing of the development of Duke Nukem Forever today at PAX.

Plus it has been confirmed for 2011 on Xbox360, PS3 and PC

Here is a quick rundown on the original post.

Michael Pachter is predicting a $100 plan as the next evolutionary step in subscription options soon to be available to Xbox Live consumers, he told IndustryGamers reports that while the initial extra $10 “translates to around $100 to 150 million per year in additional revenue for Microsoft,” the company will “reinvest at least this much in developing other new applications, and will roll out a premium service with $100 to 200 million worth of enhancements. If they can get 2 million users to switch from the $60 plan to the $100 plan, they’ll make an extra $80 million a year, and can keep investing to try to grow that business.” Continue Reading…

It’s labor day weekend and there is another Gears of War XP event starting today. It begins today, September 3 at 9am EST. It ends September 7 at 9am EST. It will be an amazing 25x XP. The horde mod is “Torque Bow Tag”, which is all Drone and Grenadiers will have Torque Bows.

So, if you don’t have your wings yet, Level 100, this is your big chance.

Who’s gonna be playing???

-DarkIDefender

Microsoft has announced a redesigned Xbox 360 wireless controller. Based on Joystiq’s post, the new controller will debut in a matte silver color with gray-toned face buttons and analog sticks with a more dramatic concave shape. Key to the new design is a “transforming” D-pad that changes from a semi-flush disc to a pop-out plus sign by twisting the D-pad clockwise. If you like a demo of the twist action head over to Major Nelson’s blog and check out the video.

The redesigned controller will only be available with the Play & Charge Kit. The bundle will launch on November 9 for $64.99.

–bjswick33

September is right around the corner and you know what that means!!! Mr. September is with us and ready to share his darkest secrets. Download now to see who it is. Intro Music created by Times After Dusk. Head over to their site and check them out!

Episode 107

–bjswick33

This holiday, Xbox Live Gold Members are getting ESPN and Video Kinect. In 2011, Gold Members get Hulu Plus. What’s the catch???

Xbox Live Gold Memberships will be going UP. A 1-Month will go from $7.99 to $9.99. A 3-Month will go from $19.99 to $24.99. A 12-Month will go from $49.99 to $59.99. These prices will take affect on November 1, 2010.

So get out there and stock up on the current priced memberships. What do you think of this???

-DarkIDefender

Just as the title says 10 minutes Firefight on the Outpost map in Halo Reach firefight. – via G4TV

Hey all, as you may or may not have heard on the most recent podcast I will be doing a Halo Weekly Update. Every Saturday or Sunday I will be posting one of these, so to make sure I’ve got all the kinks worked out when Reach actually releases I thought I’d start now. Continue Reading…

To make this easy on all of us I’m going to post the original post that I found on Joystiq. Here you go:

Tuck a few extra aces up your sleeve, as Red Dead Redemption’s online Free Roam mode will soon allow cowpokes to engage in some multiplayer table games. The “Liars and Cheats Pack” will add Poker, Liar’s Dice and horse races to the list of online activities you and your posse can participate in. We’re sure they’ll all play fair, too, since they all … have guns and stuff. You can recreate your favorite scenes from Maverick when the Liars and Cheats DLC drops September 21 on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PSN Store for 800 Microsoft Points and $9.99, respectively. Continue Reading…

I know this may not seem like something I would post about, but I’m having issues with both of my controllers so this is a great deal if you need a new one! Newegg is offering a deal on the new, all-black, glossier Xbox 360 wireless controller (the one that comes with the Xbox 360 “S”). Normally $39.99, it’s going for $29.99, which may not be a big drop in price, but it’s nice when you were not expecting the expense.

–bjswick33

Here is something for all you Dragon Age fans. DLC is on the way and it is at a very reasonable price. BioWare has announced DLC called “Witch Hunt”, which will give fans a dramatic conclusion to the Origins storyline. The DLC will be available on September 7th for 560 Microsoft Points ($6.99).

Here is the official description for the new DLC: Continue Reading…