Please don't leave us THQ!

THQ have clearly been suffering with problems lately and many have speculated on how much money they actually have in their bank. Their shareholders are running for cover and their stock prices have sunk lower and lower lately. In fact the rumour mill has subsequently kick into gear about how long the company has left. They have of course jumped into defence mode but saying that they have not cancelled their games and are not going bust... I’m certainly...

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Mass Effect 3 - Toys/Figures to include DLC

Some quick news for you relating to Mass Effect 3 today as Bioware have confirmed this week that their action figure lines going on sale in the US later this year will included DLC codes for the game itself. Spotted by NeoGAF and reported by Eurogamer a retail listing on BigBadToyStore shows eight separate figures available individually ($17.99) or in packs of four ($67.99). The blurb outlined below explains the downloadable content also being...

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The Future of Microsoft Points

Love them or hate them Microsoft Points have been a bone of contention ever since the 360 came onto the market. The system requires people to buy credits before purchasing the content on offer. Users have been critical of this method due to the confusing arrangements and ease of use. It would be much easier to purchase games/DLC etc without the mumbo jumbo of purchasing points first. Surely Microsoft could arrange for people to pay on a per purchase...

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House Party 2012 Schedule and Prices

Following up from my House Party post last week; Microsoft have now revealed the line up for the full Arcade selection including release dates. First up will be EA’s top down puzzle adventure Warp which shall be priced at 800 Microsoft Points and released 15th February. That's followed on 22nd February by survival horror spin-off Alan Wake's American Nightmare, which is priced slightly higher at 1200 Points. The third game in the line up is THQ’s...

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2012 - Video Game Resolutions

So 2012 is upon us and you’ve no doubt already broken those New Year’s Resolutions. This year I decided I would skip away from those, ‘eat more healthy’, ‘do more exercise’, ‘quit smoking’ options and instead gone with the ‘what didn’t I do in 2011 approach?’ Here’s the idea – why not this year do all the things you really want to do and finish those things you didn’t get sorted in the last 12 months. Try a New Genre I’ve always been interest in...

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Resident Evil 6 Announced

Finally Capcom have officially announced Resident Evil 6, being produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi (the mind behind Resi 4) this survival horror game will feature both single and multiplayer aspects. Scheduled for release on 20th November for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 the games story has been set already. The trailer itself looks rather nice but until I get to see/play some gameplay I won’t place my excitement levels too high. "It has been...

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Mass Effect 3 - Kinect

After my article about Kinect needing to get better I'm pleased to say that Mass Effect 3 uses Kinect. Okay it's only for voice commands but it'll be brilliant to get Miranda using Warp or issuing commands for Wrex to tank forward. Basically any command players used to bring up the control wheel can now be managed by the use of your voice. The game will run smoothly without interruption. The examples given were simple and easy to use – 'Sniper Rifle'...

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Kingdoms of Amalur Demo

On 11th January 2011, EA announced another crossover promotion between Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3. Playing the demo for Kingdoms of Amalur will unlock two Reckoning-inspired in-game items in Mass Effect 3, while playing the Mass Effect 3 demo will unlock armor and a weapon in Kingdoms of Amalur. Playing Amalur will lead to the player getting both the Reckoner Knight Armor and a Chakram Launcher weapon in Mass Effect 3. These...

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Mass Effect 3 - All I Know

Mass Effect 3 has been shaping up really well and sees the welcome return and conclusion to the Commander Shepherd trilogy. Originally announced way back in December 2010 the finale of the intergalactic action feast is due to release early in 2012 around the globe and sees the Reapers, an ancient alien race, launching an invasion against the galaxy leaving nothing but the destruction of all sentient beings in their wake. The game is due to follow...

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2011 The Biggest Sellers

So now that 2011 has come to a close ‘what were the biggest selling games?’ I hear you ask. Well lucky you because today I stumbled across the latest sales figures. There aren’t any real surprises in the results as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 topped the Xbox, Playstation and All Format lists. In fact the Call of Duty franchise has now topped the annual pile three years on the trot. FIFA 12 finished as the second best selling UK video game of...

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Suicides Threatened at Xbox 360 Manufacturing Plan

Around 300 workers at a Foxconn manufacturing plant in Wuhan, China have reportedly threatened to throw themselves en masse off the buildings roof following pay disputes earlier this month. According to WantChina Times and spotted by Kotaku, the staff, who worked on the Xbox 360 assembly line, were denied a pay rise by Foxcomm management. The problem arose when staff were offered a choice between staying on their current wage or taking compensated...

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How to Improve the Xbox 360 in 2012?

While 2011 was a pretty good year for the Xbox 360 there are a few areas that Microsoft could do with expanding to improve their market share during 2012. We have previously outlined how the system drew some fantastic sales figures, including its best week in history this past Christmas but a lack of exclusive titles and a recently introduced problematic dashboard shows that there are areas for improvement. Microsoft needs a new strategy...

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CES 2012 - Microsoft Conference

Those of you who caught our CES preview earlier this week will know that last night was the Microsoft CES Press Conference. Known for their big ideas this time of the year the conference was the stage for all the biggest announcements in the Windows line of future technology. How fitting that last night was also the final episode of the current Gadget Show series too. The press conference began with a run down of Microsoft’s...

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House Party 2012

So 2012 is here which can only mean one thing – game announcements and promotions. First off we all love a bit of XBLA; remember the greats like Torchlight and Beyond Good & Evil HD, well this year House Party is returning once again. While the Summer of Arcade might be the XBLA’s best-known promotion this years House Party look like it knows exactly how to compete. Last years House Party offer started in February and ended in March...

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2012's Big Xbox 360 Releases

2012 is finally here and we know that after Christmas and the New Year you’re probably as broke as I am but listen anyway…. You need to start saving every penny you can now if you want all the best games on offer in 2012. It’s going to be a big year and one that I think might well trump 2011 which itself had some fantastic new games. So today is the day where I will be looking at some of the biggest games listed for a release over the next 12 months...

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Most Played Games of 2011

At the closure of 2011 Raptr the gaming tracker website has revealed what its 10 million US members have spent their time playing throughout the year. Unsurprisingly for most the prize for ‘Most Played Game of 2011’ was Skyrim. The statistics used for the assessment were broken down into different areas total play time, the average session length in the games first month of sale and the average play time per person on the opening week. It’s no...

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Demo

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is due for release next month and in keeping with my love of the series you should all make sure you have some time free next week. Square Enix have today confirmed their intention to release a demo ahead of the worldwide release. For us British types the demo will be released online on 11th January which those lucky PS3 owners in America will get this on 10th January instead. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is shaping up to make amends...

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