EDI is coming back for the Extended Cut

Three voice actors have been confirmed to have started recording dialogues for the Mass Effect 3‘s DLC, Extended Cut.

In an interview with G4, Lance Henriksen and Tricia Helfer who voices Admiral Hackett and EDI respectively have done some voice-work for Extended Cut which should mean that both characters will be making an appearance.

Raphael Sbarge who voices Marine Kaidan Alenko recently tweeted that he too will be doing some voice-over work for the DLC.

“Just when you thought I would never go back, they keep PULLING me back in #MassEffect3 !! Recoding!! yay! Wha-hoo!” tweeted Sbarge.

The Extended Cut is to address the issue players had with the game’s ending, many felt the game ended too abruptly and too little explanation was given.

Thanks, Joystiq

A QA tester named Matt from TT Games have tweeted an image showing the Wii U’s redesigned tablet controller. His account and the tweet have been removed but Joystiq was able to get a screenshot before it went down.

A few subtle changes were made but probably the biggest one was changing the original’s analog nubs to sticks. You can compare the both the old and redesigned tablets below.

New design

Old design

Stop screwing us, the consumers over

To be clear, I will only be talking about what these two games did in respects to its online features. Let’s start with Diablo 3. As many of you all know, the highly anticipated game did not launch without its fair share of problems. Servers were down more than it was up and many players that have been waiting for 12 years and paid a really high price was left staring at their screens which showed nothing more than an error message.

This was all Blizzard, it’s mind boggling how they didn’t see that the game will be getting an overwhelming response from the public. Some have also said that it was intentional, that it was too garner attention to their title. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t but that isn’t why I’m writing this article. It’s their Digital Rights Management (DRM) that’s got me all worked up. Having to connect to the Internet just to play single player? While I get their reasons for doing it like to counter piracy and to stop cheaters but forcing consumers to have a constant Internet connection even if they want to play alone is a little out there. While many gamers would probably have some sort of Internet connection, expecting it to work all the time and needing it to play a single-player game is taking it too far.

There are a lot of places without fast and stable Internet connection and even in the most developed countries, an always-on Internet connection is unheard of. So why are we being punished just because some of us are born in places without a fast and stable connection? Isn’t buying something means owning it? But this DRM fiasco has got me feeling like we are just renting and are subjugated to Blizzard’s whim.

Now what does Mass Effect 3 have got to do with it? My problem with ME3 has nothing to with DRM, but it’s their multiplayer that I have a problem with. Not the gameplay but the fact that I needed to play it to get the best endings? Again, the argument comes down to, what about those that don’t possess fast Internet connection because it’s either too expensive or it’s just isn’t available. I believe multiplayer components of any game shouldn’t affect the single-player experience.

I wouldn’t have minded if the rewards were just some weapon or something along those lines, but actually affecting the ending that I get? While the multiplayer concept did fit into the story, gamers that couldn’t play it due to poor connections weren’t able to get the full experience for a product that they paid a lot of money for. To me, that’s just wrong.

We have to continue to be angry against all these restrictions placed on us. We are the ones paying good money for their product but they are always finding a way to screw us over. If I paid for something, I expect to get the full experience and not needing something else to get it.

While I’ve never got into Lost Planet, I can see myself playing this for sure. The game takes place on the same icy planet from Lost Planet and Akrids will also be making an appearance. It is being developed for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 3DS.

Blizzard's fumbling their baby again and again

Blizzard has announced on their forums and twitter that US servers will be taken down for maintenance from 5am PDT to 7am PDT.

An emergency maintenance was already administered yesterday but Diablo 3‘s server problems still persists. The game have been getting a lot of backlash on the Internet with users leaving angry comments and even bombing the Metacritic score of the game.

The game will test players on four basic categories, arithmetic, logic, language and observation. Puzzles will take advantage of all the handheld’s function which includes both touchscreens, cameras and Augmented Reality capabilities.

Sorry fanboys

An interview with Tetsuya Nomura is included in Famitsu’s anniversary feature of Final Fantasy 7 this week.

He stated that although they wish to do a Final Fantasy 7 remake, priority is given to developing new titles and it is hoped that these new titles will be able to match or top Final Fantasy 7.

He also said that he believed that the true successor to the Final Fantasy series will be Yoshinori Kitase. Some FF7 trivia was also included in the interview, such as Yuffie was originally planned to be a wanted person. There would be wanted posters all over Midgar with different faces and the last poster the player sees will be the face of Yuffie when she joins the group.

Dragon's Dogma will ship with on-disc DLC

Hearing the words Capcom and DLC will most definitely make many gamer’s heads explode, however Capcom will be evaluating its on-disc DLC strategy according to senior vice president Christian Svensson.

In a post on the Capcom Unity blog, he said, “We’ve been getting several questions, here and elsewhere about the future of on-disc DLC. We would like to assure you that we have been listening to your comments and as such have begun the process of re-evaluating how such additional game content is delivered in the future.”

“As this process has only just commenced in the past month or so, there will be some titles, where development began some time ago and that are scheduled for release in the coming months, for which we are unable to make changes to the way some of their post release content is delivered.” the post continued.

One of those titles will be Dragon’s Dogma, as it will be shipped with on-disc DLC as it is believed to be the most efficient way stated the post.

The controversy started when Street Fighter X Tekken was discovered to have on-disc DLC which contained 14 additional characters that was planned to be unlocked at a later date for a fee. Many players believed that they were paying to play with something they already paid for.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

From today until May 22, a huge number of Ubisoft titles will be going at 50% off for PlayStation Plus subscribers and 30% for normal users. If some of these games have been on your radar for awhile, this is definitely the time to pick them up. With titles like the Assassin’s Creed series to the classic Beyond Good and Evil, there is something for every type of gamer here. Check out the full list below:

• From Dust – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Outland – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Beyond Good & Evil HD – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Scott Pilgrim – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Prince of Persia Classic – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – PlayStation Plus price $14.69; Sale price $20.99
• Assassin’s Creed 2 – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Assassin’s Creed – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Far Cry 2 – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Call of Juarez 2 – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Prince of Persia (2008) – PlayStation Plus price *$9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD – PlayStation Plus price $19.59; Sale price $27.99
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – Da Vinci Disappearance DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Assassin’s Creed 2 – Battle of Forli DLC – PlayStation Plus price $1.95; Sale price $2.79
• Assassin’s Creed 2 – Bonfire of Vanities DLC – PlayStation Plus price $3.42; Sale price $4.89
• Far Cry 2 – Fortunes Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $2.44; Sale price $3.49
• Call of Juarez 2 – Old West Map Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Prince of Persia (2008) – Epilogue DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Scott Pilgrim – Knives Chau Add-On Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $0.97; Sale price $1.39
• Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP) – PlayStation Plus price $9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Complete Edition (includes Da Vinci Disappearance, Animus Project Update 1, Animus Project Update 2 and Copernicus Conspiracy Missions) – PlayStation Plus price $14.99; Sale price $24.99
• Far Cry 2 Complete Edition (includes Fortune Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99
• Prince of Persia (2008) Complete Edition (includes Epilogue) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99
• Scott Pilgrim Complete Edition (includes Knives Chau Add-On Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $4.79; Sale price $7.99
• Call of Juarez 2 Complete Edition (includes Old West Map Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99

He's waiting for you

Update:

The servers are back down again for maintenance after it was up for only a short while after an emergency maintenance.

Original Story:

The latest update on Blizzard forums has stated that the North American servers for Diablo 3 are now back up after it was brought down for emergency maintenance. There was a number of problems the game was experiencing, even a game breaking bug when changing your Templar follower’s equipment. The servers should be fine for now so get your butt back in there and start looting.

Another heart breaker for Team ICO fans

The Last Guardian have had its fair share of development troubles which includes losing its lead designer, Fumito Ueda. Now Sony is refusing to say if the game will be making an appearance at E3.

Game Informer news editor Jim Reilly tweeted, “Sony: “The Last Guardian continues to be developed, however we have no news to share at this time with regard to the franchise and E3.”

The last time the game made its way to a trade show was at Tokyo Game Show in 2010.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

In an interview with One of Swords, Treyarch boss Mark Lamia said that the Infinity Ward engine that is powering Black Ops 2 has been tinkered with in order to improve the graphics and said that the age of the engine will not hinder them from accomplishing that goal.

Lamia said they focused on two particular areas, namely graphics and lighting in which he said “a pretty significant amount of work” went into those two areas.

“I think what people are asking for is for us to push. They want us to make a better-looking game; they want things. I don’t think those are things people can’t ask for. We asked ourselves that very same question” he said.

“The answer may not need to be an entirely new engine, but you might need to do an entire overhaul of your entire lighting system. The trick is, we’re not willing to do that if we can’t keep it running at 60 frames per second — but we did that this time. So this is the Black Ops II engine.” he continued.

Lamia compared it with remodeling a house, where you make changes but the foundation is left intact. You can listen to the entire interview at One of Swords (it starts at the 20-minute mark).

The game has been in development for six months and is hoped to be released in the first half of 2013 for the PC.

Diablo III

Diablo 3 is finally here, after a 12 year wait since Diablo 2 came out in 2000; Blizzard fans can at last enjoy the latest sequel while waiting another 12 years for the next one. Diablo 3 is only for the PC and Blizzard is considering bringing it to consoles.

Max Payne 3 is also being released this week for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The game is published and developed by Rockstar Games taking over from Remedy Entertainment after selling the rights to the game.

Another notable release this week is the Game of Thrones: The Game, developed by Cyanide and is based on the books and not the television series. The game took seven years in the making and features two protagonists each with their own skills.

Other releases this week includes Battleship for the Wii, DS, 3DS, PS3 and Xbox 360, PixelJunk 4am for the PSN and Dragon’s Lair for XBLA.

Delayed to 2013

The Tomb Raider reboot by Crystal Dynamics has just been delayed to the first quarter of 2013. It was scheduled to be released this fall.

Crystal Dynamics head Darrell Gallagher announced the delay on the official Tomb Raider blog. He stated that the delay is to ensure the quality of the reboot as they are doing new things with it.

“We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve.” Gallagher said.

The above screenshot was released to apologise for the delay which is also hinting at the content we might be seeing at this year’s E3. Head on over to the game’s official blog to read Gallagher’s full statement.

Tales of Xillia

Famitsu has reported that the latest Tales of game will be a Mothership title (flagship) and not an escort title. The latest mothership titles in the series includes Xillia and Graces. Meaning its not a remake or a game that is considered side-stories of the series. Namco Bandai will be announcing the game on June 2 at the Tales of Festival event. Tales members can watch it live and commercials for the game will be aired on 21st and 28th of June.

Kyoto by Illogical Tree

Illogic Tree is an indie studio headed by Eddie Lee of Q-Games who are responsible for the PixelJunk series. One of their latest games is called Kyoto which is described as an “interactive ambient musical visualizer”. It is a hypnotic experience which can’t be put into words, to understand it you have to try it for yourself. Luckily, Illogic Tree has released a Kyoto build that is almost complete and its free; so there is no excuse for not trying out this “half audioreactive experiment and half tech sandbox” experience for yourself. You can download it here.

Watching Netflix on Xbox 360 has become the norm

According to a study done by online-video ad company Freewheel, the Xbox 360 is the most popular among all non-PC/Mac devices used to watch online videos. Freewheel measured professional videos only, these are videos that has ads thus the study is more to researching the amount of online video ads we watch. The study looked at companies such as NBC, Vevo and ESPN and didn’t measure Netflix or Youtube videos.

The Xbox 360 accounts for 28% of viewership, followed by the iPad at 27%. It is well known that the Xbox 360 is hugely popular for its entertainment functions compared to any actual gaming purposes, which Microsoft themselves announced. The study also stated that despite the high viewership for the Xbox 360 and iPad, the two devices are still behind the PC/Mac in monetization rates.