The Weekly Blend

Borderlands was 2009’s dark horse, coming out of left field to sell 2 million copies to date.  It also received a healthy dose of DLC in The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, and The Armory of General Knoxx; but apparently Gearbox isn’t done doling out the goodness.  According to Take-Two big wig Ben Feder, they “will continue to support the title with add-on content.”

So far, the current DLC seems to be doing quite well.  Gearbox and Take-Two are hoping that all of you are still thirsty for more.

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A few months ago this game wasn’t even on my radar; now I can’t wait to get my hands on it.  Red Dead Redemption came out of nowhere for me with a bevy of trailers that blew me away with the scope, attention to detail, and Wild West setting that I haven’t been exposed to yet in the recent gaming world (I missed GUN and Red Dead Revolver).

Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to wait a little longer (you, too).

Take-Two recently finished up a financial report to their investors.  In it they stated that the release date for Red Dead Redemption would be moving back to May 18 in North America (May 21 internationally) from April 27.  The reason given for the delay was to extend the games pre-release marketing period.

Red Dead Redemption wasn’t the only game that might be shoved back a bit.  On the call, LA Noire, Civilization V, Mafia II, and Max Payne 3 were also mentioned as titles that could be delayed.

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As our loyal followers (<—notice the “s” at the end of the word “follower”) know, we have not been “weekly” in our content.  Well as we had discussed in a few video podcast shows ago, we have been planning some big changes.  The first was an easier schedule and some changes to the video podcast.  We also have one other blog related change that will be rolling out soon and will give you a peek at at our thoughts more frequently as well.  Our other change is the launching of a weekly audio podcast that covers the top news on movies, tv and videogames.

The good news is to those already getting our video podcast, you don’t need to do a thing, your current TWB podcast subscription will start to fill with our weekly news coverage.  For those of you who aren’t already podcast subscribers…..shame on you….  Just kidding but you can click on this link to listen in on the show.  And honestly this week was a great launch for us to start with some big controversies and stories breaking in all areas of entertainment.

As always we appreciate your support and would love to hear your thoughts in our comment section below.

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With little fanfare, bungie released a gameplay trailer of what you can expect in Halo Reach’s multiplayer offerings.  Surely this is what we can expect to see in the beta for the game that goes live this May.

Honestly my initial impression is that it is essentially Halo 3 with jet packs.

In preparation for the impending of the much delayed Splinter Cell:  Conviction, Ubisoft has released a breakdown of what you can expect you when jump into the game with a friend.  Each video emphasizes a different aspect from, simple co-op campaign to the deniable ops mode and even the “leveling up” system.

The only thing that mutes my excitement for Splinter Cell’s co-op is it’s limit of 2 players in each mode. Is this a deal breaker? We’ll seen on April 13th.

Well it’s happening, Robocop is jumping on the reboot bandwagon with a remake being made for a 2011 release.  The 80’s classic seems to be next on the list of movies making a return.  Some are comparing the reboot to the reboot of the Batman franchise with a more dramatic director taking the helm.  The director is none other than, Darren Aranofsky, who is more well known in the independent film scene with films like, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and The Wrestler.  The indie focus gives hope that Aranofsky will take the series where famed Batman director, Christopher Nolan, took the Batman series.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major 2011 Hollywood big budget release without being in 3D.  Though there seems to be some issues that showed up in early January between the studio and the director over the 3D technology, it seems the film is still a go at this point.

Personally I question if going 3d will make Robocop better, or even if I want a deeper more personal look at a movie that truly was just 80’s fluff.  I guess we’l find out in 2011 for better or worse.

The two latest TWB Podcasts for your viewing pleasure!  Of course, those of you that subscribe to the podcast on itunes already know that. For the rest of you, here it is.

Sid Meier is back to his old tricks.  2K has just announced that the acclaimed video game creator and development house Firaxis will be bringing the fifth installment of the franchise to PC gamers everywhere sometime in Fall of 2010.

Meier stated that the game will include “an astonishing new engine” and “the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire.”

He also claimed that:

Each new version of Civilization presents exciting challenges for our team.  Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop flowing. From fully animated leaders and realistic landscapes, new combat tactics, expanded diplomacy and shared mods, we’re excited for players to see the new vision our team at Firaxis has brought to the series.

It will be interesting to see where Firaxis and 2K take this title for console gamers.  Is there a more accessible version a la Civilization Revolution in the works as well?  Personally, I would like to see Colonization II hit the market sometime in the near future.

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How’s this for a come-back post!?… ok… enough with the shouting

Microsoft Games and Lionhead Studios announced today that Fable 3 is scheduled to release this Holiday Season. I am curious to see how this plays out. I really enjoyed the last two games but they weren’t top 5 material.

Here’s the game description: “Fable III delivers an unparalleled action and adventure experience as players journey from revolutionary to the ruler of Albion and beyond. With your trusted canine companion, you will embark on an epic hero’s quest against injustice, forge alliances, crush your enemies and take control of your kingdom. But with great power comes great responsibility. Will you honor promises made in your rise to power, or sacrifice allegiance for personal gain? Choose wisely, as the decisions you make will forever impact your ever-evolving world.”

… hmmm, I swear I have already played this game…

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Well the “Microsoft-is-so-big-we-made-a-press-meeting-a-whole-convention” convention, X10 is under way and MS is rolling the carpet out on some news we’ve all been waiting for.

First up is the official date of the Halo: Reach beta.  On May 3rd, those of us who shelled out $60 for a minorly upgraded Halo 3 expansion will get to partake in the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta.  No details were given other than you will be able to play the beta by putting in the Halo 3: ODST disc.

Other major news was release dates for some of MS’s big game releases this spring and summer.  The one on Lasse’s radar is the final release of the Perfect Dark remake on Xbox live arcade in March.  We’ll see then if the overhyped Rare game still lives up to expectations.

For more information on what was revealed, including the Dead Rising 2, Alan Wake and Lost Planet 2 release dates, click this link to a post by Major Nelson.