Brand new Transformers DLC out today, more coming soon

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron might just be the best game ever featuring giant robots, let alone the Transformers. Now there's yet another reason to fire up the multiplayer as the a pair of new DLC packs are released (with one more coming at the end of the month) that'll make longtime fans very happy.

Dead Island Gets a New DLC Campaign

It's time to go back to the island... of the dead!!!1!1

In an extremely welcome move, Deep Silver announced today that their excellent survival horror title Dead Island is getting fresh single player content in the form of a brand new campaign.

First Castlevania DLC Whips Out

Looking as pretty as last Fall's retail release is the first DLC for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Dubbed 'Reverie', this is a brand new single player story spanning three stages of undead smashing goodness-

Click through only if you've beaten the main story! Spoilers ahoy-

Marvel vs Capcom 3 DLC Screenshot Deluge

Cap, Iron Man, Ryu, Dante, Chris Redfield, and Thor all get new (in some cases classic) looks in the new DLC pack for MvC3.

Hit the break for, like, a thousand more-

Dead Space 2 Sprawls Out With 'Severed'

 More story in DLC is something that is sorely lacking in just about every downloadable pack that's released. Usually all we get is some more 'maps' or 'game types'- but nothing added to the meat and potatoes of most titles- the single player experience.

Sure there's the notable exception of the occasional game like Bioshock 2 that offers a premium solo adventure (Minerva's Den), but how often does that really happen? Not very- which is why Visceral Games' first large scale DLC pack for it's hit action/horror title Dead Space 2 is such a breath of fresh air.

The content, actually an all new story expansion, is entitled Severed and takes place once again in the massive mega-city known as the Sprawl. But don't look for series protagonist Isac Clarke- the player character this time around is none other than Dead Space Extraction's security officer, Gabe Weller.

Gabe comes equipped with an enhanced Pulse Rifle as well as a custom security suit. Which he'll need as Severed also re-introduces the Twitcher- a baddie from the original game.

Video Games | Dead Space 2 | Severed DLC Trailer

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games                                

Dead Space Severed will be available March 2nd on the PSN and Xbox LIVE services. Full release is post jump along with a list of all the DLC armor and weapon packs that are available right now for the game-

Homefront DLC to be Xbox LIVE Timed Exclusive

According to Xbox's Major Nelson- THQ's upcoming action/shooter, Homefront, will have a timed exclusivity agreement for all of it's downloadable content (which will be map packs) to appear on the Xbox 360 before any other console. At least one of piece of content, a map called Suberbs, will be a 360 exclusive permanently.

As the war for DLC and digital content in general becomes hotter, we're seeing agreements like this one become more and more commonplace. A release date for the DLC  is yet to be detailed but Homefront itself will be out on retail shelves March 8th for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.

Dragon Age 2 Pre-Order Bonuses Detailed

You might want to pre-order developer Bioware's Dragon Age 2 now if you're intending to pick up the game when it launches this March. Why? Because if you do, you'll get a 'free' upgrade to the Signature Edition.

And what do you get in said Signature Edition?

“The Exiled Prince” DLC pack, the game’s digital soundtrack and an exclusive in-game digital armory featuring a variety of in-game weapons.

Not that you'd want to miss out on free content, but if you just pick up the game on launch day you can still get the added stuff in the form of  DLC, it'll just cost you 560mspts.




Full description of the new content after the break-

Rock Band 3 Expands With Free Songs

Yes... free.

On January 4th, right along side the (paid) Johnny Cash Pack, you'll be able to download a package of free songs cherrypicked from 'an array of bands representing across punk, rock, metal and indie genres':

• Abnormality – “Visions”
• Anarchy Club – “Get Clean”
• Bang Camaro – “Night Lies”
• Breaking Wheel – “Shoulder to the Plow”
• Libyans – “Welcome to the Neighborhood”
• The Main Drag – “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter”
• Speck – “Conventional Lover”
• The Sterns – “Supreme Girl”
• That Handsome Devil – “Rob the Prez-O-Dent”

Not the biggest, or most well known bands in the world- but free is free.

This freebie will be available across all the Rock Band platforms- Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360... fer nuttin'.

Johnny Cash Joins Rock Band 3

The Man in Black himself appears in RB3 next week in the form of a 9 song track pack that includes:

Johnny Cash Pack 01

• “Cry, Cry, Cry”
• “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”
• “Five Feet High and Rising”
• “Folsom Prison Blues”
• “I Got Stripes”
• “I Walk the Line” X
• “Tennessee Flat Top Box” X
• “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”\

That pack will be up for sale on January 4th for 1080mspts on Xbox LIVE, $13.49 on PSN, and 1350 Wii points. All the songs in the pack are available separately as well for the usual prices:

$1.99 USD (160 Microsoft Points) per song
$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per song
$0.99 USD (100 Wii Points/80 Microsoft Points) per song for eligible Pro Guitar/Pro Bass upgrade

Castlevania Reboot Gets a Pair of DLC Offerings

Lords of Shadow was a pretty nice game that successfully (and finally) brought the classic Castlevania franchise into the 3D realm. And now the story is going to expand a bit-

In Castlevania Lords of Shadow ‘Reverie’ players will return to the Castle as Gabriel to help Laura, the former servant to the vampire Carmilla, in destroying the unruly evil that was previously kept in check by the recently slain Queen.

And-

Once completed, fans of the series can download the second DLC entitled ‘Resurrection’, which continues the story directly after the end of the game and gives some insight into the dramatic epilogue seen by players upon completion of the game, and Gabriel's ultimate destiny. This will be larger in scope than the first add-on, as it features a final showdown with a very notorious enemy.

Now that sounds promising. Here's to hoping it's Flea-man- who can forget all those classic encounters with the most annoying enemy ever. Ever!!11!!1

Both packs land on Xbox LIVE and the PSN in February- then that little bastard is gonna get what's coming to him.

Dead Rising 2: CASE WEST Details

If Case Zero was the prologue to Dead Rising 2, then Case West is the epilogue. CW's main draw is the return of the first game's star, Frank West. Apparently, he's back from covering wars and is itching to uncover the dealings of the dastardly Phenotran corporation and their involvement in the zombie outbreaks across the US.

In a co-op game, players take on the roles of Frank and (sequel protagonist) Chuck Greene as they team up to bust some zombie heads and take a bunch of incriminating photo's. Now, are you ready because here's the disappointing part- if you play single player, you have to be Chuck. Frank becomes a sidekick character- albeit one that you don't have to babysit as he can't be killed and will fight along side you. Still, it sticks a little fail into what is overall a win of a campaign.

Full release and more screens after the jump-

Gran Turismo 5 Needs an Update to Get Online

I don't know how long GT5 has been in development, but it's been years. So with that in mind, you'd think that all the features would be ready to go right? Well you might think, but you'd be wrong.

It looks like none of the online multiplayer features are going to be active when you pull the wrapping off your new driving simulator. It's not that the patch is all that massive, it's only 133MB, it's just... well... really?!?

Lots of games need patches on the first day of release these days- which I think is just a by-product of trying to make the preset release date no matter what. The problem here is that GT5 (as I mentioned) has been in development forever. Why this thing isn't complete and disc ready on day one is just silly.

'Dead Money' Expansion for Fallout: New Vegas Hits LIVE on December 21st

The amazingly huge hit, Fallout: New Vegas has sold over five million copies since it launched last month for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. And now that massive amount of wasteland wanderers will have a new adventure to take on as Bethesda has announced the first in what I assume will be a long line of quality (if Fallout 3 is any indication) DLC,  Dead Money.

As the victim of a raw deal you must work alongside three other captured wastelanders to recover the legendary treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino. In Dead Money, your life hangs in the balance as you face new terrain, foes, and choices. It is up to you how you play your cards in the quest to survive.

Dead Money will be released December 21st for 800mspts, no word yet on  PSN version.

Read on for the full release-

Prince of Persia Trilogy to be Available on PSN

The original PoP trilogy that played out across the Xbox and Playstation 2 is coming to PS3's in downloadable, HD, 3D ready form.

It's more than a little odd that publisher Ubisoft is going the dlc route- the validity of 'HD' compilations is already proven at the retail level with both the God of War and Sly Cooper collections. And on top of that the European release of the PoP trilogy is disc based. All three games on one Blu Ray.

Strange, no?

Edit: forgot to mention each  game will be $14.99 and what the release date will be, I have no idea. Worth mentioning though is that the Euro version is apparently region free so it should play on American PS3's. For those who prefer their games to be on physical media. Like me.

Fable 3 Expands

So Fable 3 is doing pretty well, and that means downloadable goodies! Now before you get all 'thie should have been on the disc!' with me, take a look because this actually sounds like some good stuff.

The 'Understone Quest Pack', available on the 23rd of this month, will add three new adventures to the main Fable 3 game:

“The Voice”: In the main quest, explore the mysterious underground land built by Montague Hummes in fear of the Spire in “Fable II” -

• Discover the origin of the voice that controls the people of Understone
• Features a moral decision that will lead to two drastically different outcomes in Understone

“Shooting Range”: After defeating Saker during your quest to become King, the remaining Mercenaries have turned their camp into a tourist attraction. The main attraction being the replayable shooting range mode -

• Beat the high scores to win three prizes that can be used while playing the mini-game: the Marksman 500 (gifted to players for downloading the pack), Money Shot (prize) and Black Dragon (prize)

“The Wheel of Misfortune”: After Reaver vacated his home, he set up a venture for budding heroes to replay the thrilling arena-based challenges within his new dwellings -

• Beat the high scores to win three new weapons that can be used while playing in the mini-game: The Full Monty (gifted to player upon downloading pack), Dirty Harriet (prize) and Dead Ned’s Revolver (prize)

Also available on the same day on LIVE is a new 'Hair Pack' (160mspts) with three new hairstyles and a '5 Star Dog Potion' (80mspts) that levels up your pooch into a superdog right from the get go. The Quest pack sounds pretty good- a nice expansion the further ties the second game into this new adventure. The hair pack... not so much.

You know, this really should have just been on the disc...

Capcom Brings the Arcade Ruckus to Wii(ware)

Capcom announced today that they would be bringing a couple of their well known (and a few I never heard of)  arcade games of yore to Wiiware this winter.

• 1942 – This classic vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up is perhaps Capcom's finest moment in the pre-Street Fighter era. Spawning a million clones and re-appearing throughout the history of gaming, 1942's biplane action needs no introduction. And now, for the first time on the Wii, the original and best version.
• Black Tiger – Fight your way through colorful, action-packed levels in this 1987 arcade classic. Explore huge, sprawling levels as a powerful barbarian, seeking to defeat menacing bosses.  Plus, upgrade your character with one of the first inventory and power-up systems ever built.
• Commando: Wolf of the Battlefield – Experience the Capcom arcade game that spawned a multitude of clones as the original Commando comes to your living room courtesy of the Virtual Console Arcade. Take control of Super Joe and shoot your way—in all eight directions—towards the enemy's territory, using grenades to wreak havoc with enemy placements in this seminal genre creator.
• EXED EXES – A retro classic from Capcom's arcade line-up in 1985, Exed Exes is a vertically-scrolling shooter that's sure to bring back fond memories. Dodge bullets! Collect fruit! And go for high scores in the most furious sci-fi insectoid shoot 'em up ever made.
• Ghosts ’n Goblins – Ghosts ‘n Goblins is a classic game that packs a heavy punch (and lance). Experience the smash arcade hit from 1985 as you help Arthur defeat hordes of monsters in his attempt to rescue the princess. The first (and possibly only) game in which taking a hit reduces you to your underwear.
• SONSON – Experience the original adventures of the Monkey King in this action-packed side scrolling adventure. Rapidly switch between different levels of play to shoot dangerous enemies in the face! A truly original concept, this quirky, old skool arcade classic has been a rare find in the west since its arcade debut in 1984. Until now!

I'm hoping that if these do well, there'll be more to come from Capcom and maybe some other devs as well- we are still waiting on Simpsons Arcade after all.

Medal of Honor DLC Hits the Beach

Or the desert as the case may be.

EA's much anticipated modern war shooter may have cooled a bit as it landed at retail with a dull thud, but that won't stop the DLC train from dropping off a few new multiplayer (of course...) maps and modes to everybody who took the bearded plunge.

The content is available now on Xbox LIVE for 800mspts or PSN for $9.99

Full release detailing the new stuff after the jump-

Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack Now Available

The Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is now available on Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live and the PlayStation Network. With the new ninja pack, Chuck gains a “stealth mode” that allows him to evade zombies by making it harder for them to detect Chuck’s presence.
With the new Ninja Theme Pack, sword-type weapons (broadswords, katanas, etc.) have their attack power increased and will allow Chuck to perform new special attacks. Stackable items and throwing items such as nails, plates, gems, etc. will also do more damage and Chuck’s throwing speed is increased.
The Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is available for 160 Microsoft points, or $1.99 on the PlayStation Network.

Xbox Dashboard Update Available

The latest in the ever expanding collection of dash updates for the Xbox 360 went live today so make sure you snap it up asap.

There's a load of improvements including a little graphical update and, most importantly for those picking up Kinect tomorrow, Kinect functionality is now enabled.

Majornelson.com for a full list of features.

Shoryuken Pack Available Tomorrow

Get ready to be “Shoryukened” with the new Ultra Shoryuken Costume Pack for Super Street Fighter IV. The Ultra Shoryuken Costume Pack is now available on PSN and will be available on Xbox Live tomorrow. This costume pack includes new threads for Ryu, Ken, Dan, Gouken and Akuma!

The Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Shoryuken Costume Pack is available for $3.99 on PSN and will be available for 320 Microsoft points on Xbox Live.