Today Valve announced that the “Crash Course” DLC for Left 4 Dead will arrive on Tuesday, Sept. 29 on both the Xbox 360 and PC.
PC gamers can snag the Versus mode focused add-on for free, where as Xbox 360 gamers will have to shell out 560 Microsoft Points ($7) for the content.
Valve described the DLC saying, “The primary goal of Crash Course is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game’s existing Versus campaigns.”
Read: Left 4 Dead ‘Crash Course’ DLC Arrives Tuesday.
Yesterday developer Creative Assembly announced that Empire: Total War will be receiving a new downloadable campaign in October.
The DLC will allow gamers to control five new Native American factions including: Iroquois, Huron, Plains, Pueblo and Cherokee across a new campaign title Warpath. The new content also includes an expanded North American map, new units, agents, technologies and objectives.
The DLC will only be made available on Valve’s Steam service. Right now, you can head on over to Steampowered.com and pre-order the new Warpath Campaign for $10.
Read: Empire: Total War Getting Steam-exclusive DLC.
Without a doubt, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a huge success. Gamers everywhere are enthralled with the absolute badassery that comes with taking control of the Dark Knight. Eidos knows this too, which is why the publisher is releasing two batches of DLC over the next two weeks.
Dubbed “Insane Night” and “Prey In The Darkness”, the two pack respectively arrive on Sept. 17 and Sept. 24. According to SCEE’s Mike Kebby, “Insane Night” will arrive on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for free. No word has arrived on whether or not “Prey In The Darkness” will be free.
As of right now, details are slim as to what in contained in the two DLC packs. What we do know is that they are not repackagings of the pre-order exclusive DLC, “Dem Bones” and “Crime Alley.” As soon as more details arrive, you can be sure that I’ll post them here on The Wire.
Read: Two Batman: Arkham Asylum DLC packs releasing over two weeks.
PC Gamers will be pleased to know that the three months spent waiting for Volition’s sandbox shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla to be ported over from the consoles wasn’t for nothing. All sorts of bonus features have been added in hopes of making the wait worth while.
The Games for Windows Live version will come with the “Demons of the Badlands” DLC, bonus Wrecking Crew maps, two exclusive multiplayer maps, and the Bagman mode from the upcoming DLC.
Red Faction Guerrilla will finally arrive on the PC Sept. 15. If you are in a pre-ordering mood, you might want to check out Steam and Impulse. Both are offering the first two Red Factions for free with a $39.99 pre-order of Guerrilla.
Read: Red Faction: Guerrilla Brings Bonus Content to PC.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote up a post about the new characters included in the Transformers DLC. Today Activision release a whole slew of details about the DLC.
The content will hit XBLM and the PSN on Aug. 27. In order to get your hands on the eight new character, all with tweaked weapons, the new skins for existing characters, three multiplayer maps, a more challenging difficulty mode, and the addition of Aerialbot to the single-player campaign, you are going to need to pony up 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
For the complete breakdown of all the new content, hit the jump. Read more »
Today Volition released a free patch for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Red Faction: Guerrilla bringing all sorts of new content and bug fixes.
In order to get the patch, gamers just need to boot up their respective consoles with Guerrilla in the machine. Once you sign in online, a pop-up will appear prompting you to download the patch. Once it installs, you’ll be on your way to exploring the new game mode, as well as new maps.
What exactly is included? Hit the jump for the patch notes. Read more »
Today Valve announced that a new DLC pack for Left 4 Dead will arrive sometime in Sept.
The “Crash Course” DLC will add a new campaign streamlined for Versus Mode as well as new Survival Mode maps. According to Valve the new DLC will feature “New locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale.” Valve also stated that the “Crash Course” campaign will act as a bridge between the events of “No Mercy” and “Death Toll.”
The developer stated: “The primary goal of ‘Crash’ is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game’s existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.”
The “Crash Course” DLC will be available on both the PC and Xbox 360. While it will be free for PC gamers, those on the 360 will have to pay 560 Microsoft Points ($7).
Personally, I can’t wait for this. Pretty much every night I’m playing Versus Mode, and the idea of a new campaign just gets me shacking with anticipation. The other good news about this is that it should calm down all the L4D2 boycotts.
Read: Left 4 Dead 1 DLC Brings New Campaign: Free on PC, Paid on Xbox 360.
Today LucasArts announced that two new levels will be released for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. One will be released as DLC, the other will only be made available to gamers who buy an upcoming special edition of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
The DLC level, slated to arrive this Aug., will have players wreaking havoc on the planet Tatoonie. According to LucasArts, the DLC “re-imagines the Star Wars Saga as if the Secret Apprentice had killed Darth Vader and taken his place at the Emperor’s side.” The downloadable level will send players on a hunt after the reclusive Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As for the exclusive level, it will only be available to gamers who buy a new “Ultimate Sith Edition” of The Force Unleashed, which includes all the previous DLC. The new level will take place on the frozen planet Hoth. LucasArts’ official description of the new level reads: “The Secret Apprentice is sent to the planet Hoth on a crusade to crush the Rebellion once and for all. While on Hoth, players face Luke Skywalker himself while visiting iconic locations seen in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.”
Read: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed DLC Announced; Tatooine Level Downloadable, Hoth on ‘Sith Edition’.
Today Activision announced a new batch of DLC for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Luxoflux’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
The downloadable pack, currently with no official price, will add over ten new characters, three new muliplayer maps, and an “expert” difficulty level. There will also be new achievements and trophies.
So far only Sideswipe and G1 Starscream were announced as new characters. As more details arrive you can be sure I’ll post them here on The Wire.
[Editor's note: Say it with me: STARSCREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!]
Read: Transformers DLC Adding More Robots, MP Maps.
Today Microsoft announced that another batch of Halo Wars DLC will hit July 21. Dubbed the “Historic Battles” pack, this bit of DLC recreates “key turning points in the UNSC/Covenant war” via four new multiplayer maps.
According to Major Nelson’s blog, the “Historic Battles” pack is priced at 800 Microsoft Points and will add two 1v1 maps, one 2v2 map, and one 3v3 map. Nelson offers a brief overview of each map, saying:
- “Barrens (1v1 Map): Difficult terrain channels units into killing zones. The side that controls the Forerunner artifacts will have the advantage.”
- “Blood River (1v1 Map): Secure base locations on nearby cliffs overlook this naturally red-tinged river. The soldiers that fought over its two narrow crossings gave the river its name, which has since taken on a greater meaning.”
- “Glacial Ravine (3v3 Map): A snow-topped mountain range forms a natural barrier that cuts this region in half. Control of the two energy walls at the narrow central pass often determines the outcome of the battle, though clever use of the Sentinel Factories may play a role as well.”
- “Memorial Basin (2v2 Map): The high ground in the middle offers good cover for infantry, while the generally open terrain transforms organized battle plans into bloodbaths.”
Read: New Add-on coming for Halo Wars.
Today developer Bethesda Softworks posted a developer diary explaining how Point Lookout, the upcoming Fallout 3 DLC, came to be.
According to the diary, Point Lookout came about during a brainstorming session between Joel Burgess, Lead Designer, and Nathan Purkeypile, Lead Artists. The two came up with a scrap of paper that said, “Swamp, Boardwalk. Mansion Siege. Organ Thieves. Steamboat. Cultists.” Once these ideas were approved, they started work on Point Lookout.
The rest of the diary discusses how they chose the location, the subtlety of placing landmarks that gamers can use to navigate the new area, the visual style, and reworking the enemy AI.
Personally I love these kinds of articles. My whole life I wanted to be a game designer, until I got to college and realized I can’t program for crap. These developer diaries are a great way to give gamers some insight into the subtle nuances of game design.
Point Lookout is slated to hit the Xbox 360 and PC on June 23, with a PlayStation 3 release later on.
Read: Deus Ex Mundus, Diabolus Ex Labori.
Today developer Relic revealed the contents of the “There is Only War” update for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.
The free update will bring eight new multiplayer maps, ranging in size from 1v1 to 3v3, the ability to spectate custom multiplayer matches, and various gameplay fixes and balancing tweaks.
Relic has stated that all Dawn of War II owners will be able to participate in a beta test of the new update in early July. The developer has yet to comment as to when gamers can expect the update. You can be sure that I’ll post updates as they arrive.
Read: Huge Dawn of War 2 Update Bringing 8 New Maps, Numerous Balance Tweaks.
