Borderlands 2 will soon include a new character

Gearbox’s Borderlands 2 showcased a new teaser that will introduce a sixth playable character into the mix. Looks like the mysterious character will be a melee fighter of sorts.

Borderlands 2 DLC available

Long story short, I dig your skills.

Today, you can pick up the brand new DLC available for Borderlands 2. Purchasable for $10 or $30 for the BL2 DLC Season Pass for all the upcoming DLC releases, Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty DLC will let you head onto a new adventure aiding Captain Scarlett to find some treasure. Check out the trailer below to learn more and happy hunting.

Full disclosure, I will absolutely stab you in the back somewhere down the road.

 

Steam discounts Magicka and Spellforce series

For this week’s midweek madness, Steam has discount the Spellforce and Magicka series. Spellforce is available at 66% off, while Magicka is a whopping 75% off as usual. You can pick up the game itself for just $2.49, but the entire game and its DLCs is available for just $8.74. I highly recommend Magicka. It is a a very fun game to play with friends as the spell effects and the friendly fire makes an overall hilarious experience. Nordic Games’ Spellforce is purchasable for just $3.39; however, you can pick up the entire series for just $13.59. The complete edition includes Spellforce – Platinum Edition, Spellforce 2: Faith in Destiny – Digital Extras, Spellforce 2: Faith in Destiny, and Spellforce 2: Gold Edition.  You can pick these two games up until Thursday, September 20th at 7pm EST. Also you can pick up Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues for half-off at $9.99 until 1pm EST today. Now excuse me, while I continue to go play Borderlands 2.

The Darkness II 75% off on Steam

This weekend Steam has reduced Digital Extremes’ The Darkness II for 75% off. Therefore until Monday at 1pm EST, you can pick up a copy of The Darkness II for just $12.49.

Borderlands 2 includes fifth class, the Mechromancer

Mechromancer concept art

Borderlands 2 is almost less than one month away. With that in mind, new trailers and more details are being revealed for everyone to get excited about. Borderlands 2 features four new classes: the Gunzerker, the Siren, the Commando and the Assassin. In addition, there’s the Mechromancer, a punk girl with ponytails who has the ability to summon Deathtrap, a robot. Within the Mechromancer’s skill tree, you have the ability to upgrade your companion, Deathtrap. One of which its abilities is an explosive clap that sandwiches opponents together than has a knock-back effect afterwards. Check out the latest video below featuring Handsome Jack and remember the Borderlands sequel will be releasing on September 18th for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 and the 21st for the UK.

Deathtrap concept art

You may have noticed Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchfordspeaking out against the “girlfriend mode” nickname on Twitter.

As reported below, the Mechromancer skill tree that helps video game newcomers is formally called Best Friends Forever. But Borderlands 2 lead designer John Hemingway referred to it numerous times as “girlfriend mode”.

“Borderlands 2 does NOT have a girlfriend mode,” Pitchford stated on Twitter. “Anyone that says otherwise is misinformed or trying to stir up something that isn’t there.

“The future DLC Mechromancer class has a skill tree that makes it easier for less skilled coop partners (any gender!) to play and be useful.”

Pitchford didn’t deny that Hemingway had said “girlfriend mode”. Instead, he labelled the term a “personal anecdote” that had been spun by the media.

“There is no universe where Hemingway is a sexist,” Pitchford added. “All the women at Gearbox would beat his and anyone else’s ass” (Eurogamer).

 

Gamersgate’s summer sale is here

In case you missed the huge Steam Summer Sale, Gamersgate is having one of their own. The summer sale lasts a whopping four weeks and each week highlights a genre. This week is RPG Games. In addition, there are four daily deals. Today they are BioShock Complete Pack, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale, and Dark Messiah Might & Magic. Check out the catalog of RPG games here to catch a bargain.

Here’s a hint for the upcoming deals tomorrow:

“Tomorrow we´re going to space with our pockets filled with Interstellar Kredit! After that, off to the beautiful island of Faranga for some temple ruin sightseeing (monster slaying included!), and last but not least: some classic D&D dungeon crawling!”

Orcs Must Die! and Borderlands on sale for 75% off this weekend on Steam

Orcs Must Die! is available for at a lovely $2.49 and just $3.24 for Orcs Must Die! Game of the Year Edition that features two DLCs. In addition to highlight the upcoming sequel to the game, you can pre-purchase Orcs Must Die! 2 at 10% off making it just $13.49 from the original retail price of $14.99. Snag Orcs Must Die! cheap, before the sequel launches on July 30th.

Borderlands is also available to purchase at 75% off. You can pick up the GOTY Edition for just $7.49. You can also now pre-purchase the sequel at 10% off at $53.99 if you already own Borderlands through Steam. If you haven’t gotten a copy of Borderlands, you can play the game for free until Sunday at 4pm EST.

Steam Summer Sale Day 11

Here are the daily deals for Day 11 of Steam’s Summer Sale.

• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction – $4.99 (75% off)
• Operation Flashpoint Complete– $13.74 (75% off)
• Bastion – $3.74 (75% off)
• Double Fine Bundle – $7.49 (75% off)
• Football Manager 2012 – $7.49 (75% off)
• S.P.A.Z. – $2.49 (75% off)
• BioShock– $4.99 (75% off)
• Indie Bundle XI – $9.99 (75% off)  – World of Goo, Star Ruler, Hydrophobia: Prophecy, Orion: Dino Beatdown, Waveform
  
• Jagged Alliance: Back in Action – $6.74 (75% off)

The flash sales at the moment now are:

• Portal 2 – $4.99 (75% off) less than 8 hours
• The Witcher 2 – $15.99 (60% off) less than 10 hours
• Trine 2 – $3.74 (75% off) less than 4 hours
• Dead Island – $10.19 (75% off) less than 6 hours

The community poll at the moment is amongst L.A. Noire (75% off), Mirror’s Edge(75% off), and Just Cause 2(75% off). The voting ends in less than six hours and you have a chance to pick up Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition at $4.99 (75% off) before the community sale ends in less than two hours.

Steam Summer Sale Day 6

Here are the day deals for Day 6 of Steam’s Summer Sale.

• Company of Heroes Complete Pack – $12.49 (75% off)
• Wargame: European Escalation – $19.99 (50% off)
• Railworks 3: Train Simulator 2012 – $3.49 (90% off)
• Stronghold 3 – Gold– $13.59 (66% off)
• Grand Theft Auto Complete Pack – $12.49 (75% off)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops – $19.99 (50% off)
• Limbo– $2.49 (75% off)
• Indie Bundle VI – $9.99 (75% off)  –AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome, Defcon, Trauma, SpaceChem, Ticket to Ride
  
• Spec Ops: The Line – $33.49 (33% off)

The flash sales at the moment now are:

• Binary Domain – $13.59 (66% off) less than 7 hours
• Sniper Elite V2 – $24.99 (75% off) less than 3 hours
• Double Fine Bundle – $7.49 (75% off) less than 5 hours
• Duke Nukem Forever– $4.99 (75% off) less than 11 hours

The community poll at the moment is amongst E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy (75% off), Sanctum (75% off), and Krater (50% off). The voting ends in less than four hours and you have a chance to pick up Batman: Arkham City at $10.19 (66% off) before the community sale ends in less than five hours.

Steam Summer Sale Day 4

Here’s your daily deals for Day 4! You still have less than twelve hours to purchase Day 3 daily deals as well.

• The Hitman Collection – $6.24 (75% off)
• The Darkness II – $12.49 (75% off)
• Mount & Blade Collection – $8.74 (75% off)
• Saints Row: The Third – $12.49 (75% off)
• Cities XL 2012 – $7.49 (75% off)
• The Walking Dead – $14.99 (40% off)
• Trine 2 – $3.74 (75% off)
• Indie Bundle IV – $9.99 (75% off)  – A Valley Without Wind, Atom Zombie Smasher, Blocks That Matter, Sanctum, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
  
• Serious Sam 3: BFE – $9.99 (75% off)

The flash sales at the moment now are:

• Killing Floor – $4.99 (75% off) less than 12 hours
• Microsoft Flight Collection – $16.99 (66% off) less than 8 hours
• Q.U.B.E. – $3.74 (75% off) less than 6 hours
• Magicka – $2.49 (75% off) less than 4 hours

The community poll at the moment is amongst Terraria (75% off), Bastion (75% off), and Dungeon Defenders (75% off). The voting ends in less than five hours and you have another chance to pick up Legend of Grimrock at $5.99 (60% off) before the community sale ends in less than 6 hours.

I recommend Saints Row: The Third, it is incredibly amusing and hilarious. I definitely recommend Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP as well.

Borderlands 2 Badass system and screenshots

There’s a new infinite levels of progression system in Borderlands 2 detailed below and taken from Eurogamer since it was well-written and I’d rather not paraphrase the information and instead play some of games from the Steam Summer Sale 🙂 Oh if you happen to not purchase Borderlands from the Steam Summer Sale when it ends at less than 34 hours from now, Amazon is having a bit of their own summer sale and you can purchase Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition which includes the DLCs for just $7.49 (the same price as Steam’s) and it’ll also be redeemable on Steam. I really like the vibrant colors, bright greens, purples, and blues of Borderlands 2.

Gearbox Software has unveiled Borderlands 2’s Badass system, its character-wide progression system with an infinite number of levels.

As you play Borderlands 2 you level up your Badass rank, which is linked to your profile but provides statistical bonuses to all your characters – new and old.

Each time you use a token gained through Badass, the game randomly picks a set of statistics. Then, you decide which statistic to increase. It’s all powered by a secret algorithm the developer is keeping close to its chest,

Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford, who expects to see long-term players with Badass levels in the thousands, told Eurogamer he believes the system is the first of its kind.

“I don’t know of any examples,” he said. “There are a couple of games that have done profile levelling. Even Call of Duty multiplayer, your growth is profile related, not character related, but they don’t have character choices. You’re not growing characters.

“And I haven’t seen one that’s comfortable with infini-growth. Everything puts a cap onto it.”

Using data based on how Borderlands 1 players played the game some two-and-a-half years after launch, Gearbox is able to extrapolate how players will play the sequel two-and-a-half years after it launches, and use mathematical models to predict how the Badass system will evolve.

It’s all part of Gearbox’s effort to create a hobby with Borderlands 2, something players continue to play for years.

“Borderlands was a weird thing in the sense that, a lot of games are designed to be a story you consume and then you’re done,” Pitchford said. “Whereas Borderlands was this thing that launched and then both in sales and in playtime it kept accelerating, instead of just launching big and then dropping off.”

Borderlands 2’s expected enduring popularity should enable Gearbox to make a “really big investment” in downloadable content, much in the same way it did with Borderlands 1.

There’s also the issue of value, Pitchford added. He hopes that by creating a game that, technically, will last players forever, they will feel they’re getting value for money.

“They got to take a risk. They’ve got to spend some money. They’ve got to buy a game. And I want them to feel like, man, the value I’m getting out of this, it’s not only worth the $60 or whatever, I’m getting more value out of this than the last $500 I spent on other video games. We want that goodwill.

“So we’re thinking about it like a hobby and not like just a consumable, get it done and get ready to buy your next game.”

Steam Summer Sale Day 3

Here’s your daily deals for Day 3! You still have less than twelve hours to purchase Day 2 daily deals as well.

• Tropico 4 – $7.49 (75% off)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – $29.79 (50% off)
• Borderlands – $7.49 (75% off)
• DiRT Showdown – $24.99(50% off)
• Two Worlds II – $7.49 (75% off)
• Frozen Synapse – $2.49 (90% off) $4.99 (80% off)
• Orcs Must Die! – $3.74 (75% off)
• Indie Bundle III – $9.99 (75% off)  – Bit.Trip Beat, Braid, Bunch of Heroes, Insanely Twisted Planet, Runespell: Overture
• Dead Island – $10.19 (66% off)

The flash sales at the moment now are:

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – $2.49 (75% off) less than 12 hours
• Sam & Max Complete Pack – $12.49 (75% off) less than 8 hours
• Brink – $4.99 (75% off) less than 6 hours
• Ys Origin – $7.99 (60% off) less than 4 hours

The community poll at the moment is in between Left 4 Dead 2 (75% off), Portal 2 (75% off), and Half-Life 2 (75% off). The voting ends in less than five hours and you have less than six hours to pick up Plants vs. Zombies at 75% off.

New Borderlands 2 trailer

Check out a brand new trailer for Borderlands 2 that highlights the new jungle full of exotic creatures for your shooting pleasure come September 18th.

Steam’s summer sale is finally here

Today the Steam summer sale everybody has been eagerly awaiting for has finally hit. There are the usual daily deals and now there are flash sales and a poll to choose an upcoming sale.

For each day I will try to update about each daily deal and flash sales.

There are nine daily deals and today’s are:

• Indie Bundle 1 – $9.99 (75% off) – Lone Survivor, Cave Story+, Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Edge, The Baconing
• Crusader Kings II – $9.99 (75% off) – franchise
• Ridge Racer Unbounded – $24.99 (50% off)
• Total War: Shogun 2 – $7.49 (75% off) – franchise
• Terraria – $2.49 (75% off)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – $29.99 (50% off)
• Might & Magic Heroes VI – $24.99 (50% off) – franchise
• Legend of Grimrock – $5.99 (60% off)
• Portal 2 – $4.99 (75% off) – franchise

The flash sales are:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution – $7.49 (75% off)  less than 6 hours
• Rayman Origins – $14.99 (50% off) less than 12 hours
• SpaceChem – $2.49 (75% off) less than 8 hours
• Mafia II – $7.49 (75% off) less than 10 hours

You can also cast your vote among three top hits and the one that receives the most votes will be the next deal in eight hours. The choices right now are: The Witcher 2 (60% off), Saint’s Row: The Third (75% off), and Batman: Arkham City (66% off). Of course, there are your publishers’ packs on sale. Check out the entire Steam catalog and be sure to check back each day for new deals. Happy bargain shopping.

Steam Summer Sale will bring Indie Bundles each day

Everyone’s practically awaiting the Steam Summer Sale. I know I am. I have a bunch of games I’d like to try out, but not pay $30 something for them. During the Steam Summer Sale, there will be plenty of bundles on sale, especially indie bundles. There will be an Indie bundle each day of the two week sale. Of course, there will also be publisher packs on sale as well as franchise packs. Take a look below at the Indie game bundles and the confirmed packs. Indie Bundle Day 4 looks like a great one, despite I already have S:S&S EP. A lot of the indie bundles I already have one or two games out of each which I’m sure most people do as well if you constantly buy the plethora of indie game bundles out there. The rumor is the Steam Summer sale will begin on July 12th.

Indie bundles:

• Indie Bundle Day 1 – The Baconing, Edge, Anomaly Warzone Earth, Cave Story+, Lone Survivor ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 2 – Universe Sandbox, E.Y.E, Oil Rush, Botanicula, Splice ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 3 – Braid, Bit.Trip Beat, Runespell: Overture, Bunch of Heroes, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 4 – Atom Zombie Smasher, Sanctum, Blocks That Matter, Sword and Sworcery (includes soundtrack), A Valley Without Wind ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 5 – Audiosurf, Greed Corp., Gemini Rue, The Tiny Bang Story, Ys: The Oath in Felghana ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 6 – Defcon, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome, SpaceChem, Trauma, Ticket to Ride ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 7 – Zombie Driver, Dungeons of Dredmor, Vessel, Avadon: The Black Fortress, Qube ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 8 – Wings of Prey, Hoard, Swords and Soldiers, Demolition Inc., Sol Exodus ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 9 – Zeno Clash, VVVVVV, Revenge of the Titans, Jamestown, Capsized ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 10 – Machinarium, Eufloria, Beat Hazard, Bit.Trip Runner, All Zombies Must Die ($39.99 placeholder)
• Indie Bundle Day 11 – World of Goo, Star Ruler, Hydrophobia, Orion: Dino Beatdown, Waveform ($39.99 placeholder)

General discounts:

• 1C Collection – Cryostasis, Men of War series, NecroVisioN, Kings Bounty series, Theatre of War series, Rig ‘n’ Roll, Space Rangers 2 Reboot ($39.99)
• 2K Pack 2 Bioshock 2, Darkness 2: Limited Edition, Duke Nukem Forever, Mafia 2, SpecOps: The Line (no price yet)
• Batman / Gotham City Imposters Bundle – Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City & DLC, Gotham City Imposters ($99.99 placeholder)
• Bethesda Collection – Brink & DLC, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, Fallout: New Vegas & DLC, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim ($99.99 placeholder)
• BioShock Franchise Pack – BioShock, BioShock 2 ($99.99 placeholder)
• Bit Trip Beat Pack – Bit.Trip Beat plus soundtrack ($9.99)
• Bit Trip Runner Pack – Bit.Trip Runner plus soundtrack ($9.99)
• Blendo Games Pack – Airforte, Atom Zombie Smasher, Flotilla (no price yet)
• Carpe Fulgur Bundle – Chantelise, Recettear, Fortune Summoners ($99.99 placeholder)
• Civilization Collection – Civilization 3 Complete, Civilization 4 Complete, Civilization 5 plus DLC (not Gods & Kings) ($99.99 placeholder)
• Command & Conquer Franchise Pack – Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising, Command & Conquer 4 ($99.99 placeholder)
• Cyan Complete Pack 2012 – Real Myst, Myst Masterpiece Edition, Myst 5, Riven, Uru, Spelunx, Manhole, Cosmic Osmo ($99.99 placeholder)
• Cyanide Studios Compilation – A Game of Thrones, Blood Bowl: Dark Elves Edition, Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition, Loki, Pro Cycling Manager 2008, Pro Cycling Manager 2012 (no price yet)
• Dawn of War Franchise Pack – Dawn of War 1 series and Dawn of War 2 series plus DLC ($39.99)
• Deep Silver Compilation – Dead Island & DLC, Emergency 2012, Iron Front, Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters, Lost Horizon, Nail’d, Risen, Risen 2, Rush for Berlin, Sacred 2, Secret Files, Secret Files 2, The Dark Eye, The Whispered World (no price yet)
• Duke Nukem Bundle – Duke Nukem Forever plus DLC ($99.99 placeholder)
• Europa Universalis 3 Chronicles – Europa Universalis 3 Complete, EU3 Divine Wind, EU3 Heir to the Throne (no price yet)
• Foreign Legion Bundle – Foreign Legion: Buckets of Blood, Foreign Legion: Multi Massacre ($59.99 placeholder)
• Gratuitous Battle Pack – Gratuitous Space Battles, Gratuitous Tank Battles ($39.99 placeholder)
• GTA IV Complete Pack – Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City ($99.99 placeholder)
• Indie Fright Pack – Burn Zombie Burn, The Path, The Scourge Project, The Void, Zombie Driver ($99.99 placeholder)
• Kalypso Collection – Tropico 3, Tropico 4, Dungeons, Dungeons: The Dark Lord, Jagged Alliance: Back in Action, SkyDrift, Airline Tycoon 2, Port Royale 3, Bang Bang Racing ($99.99 placeholder)
• Killing Floor Bundle – Killing Floor, Outbreak Character Pack, Nightfall Character Pack, Post Mortem Character Pack, London’s Finest Character Pack, Defence Alliance 2, Steampunk Mr. Froster DLC,Christmas Character Pack, Urban Nightmare Character Pack, Harold Lott Character Pack ($19.99)
• Majesty Franchise Bundle – Majesty Gold, Majesty HD, Majesty 2, Defenders of Ardania & DLC, Warlock: Master of the Arcane & DLC ($99.99 placeholder)
• Nordic Games Compilation – Agatha Christie games, Aquanox, Aquanox 2, Gothic, Gothic 2, Gothic 3, Gothic 4 Arcania & expansion, Aura, Aura 2, Chaser, Europa 1400, Painkiller games, Safecracker, Safecracker 2, Spellforce Platinum, Spellforce 2 Gold, The Guild 2, Guild 2 Renaissance, Guild 2 Pirates of the European Seas (no price yet)
• Paradox Collection – Crusader Kings 2, Defenders of Ardania, Europa Universalis 3 Complete plus Divine Wind, Gettysburg: Armored Warfare, Magicka Collection, Mount & Blade Series, Naval War Arctic Circle, Sword of the Stars 2, Warlock – Masters of the Arcane ($99.99 placeholder)
• Pendulo Adventure Pack – Runaway: A Road Adventure, Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle, Runaway: A Twist of Fate, The Next BIG Thing, Yesterday ($29.99)
• Perfect World Collection – Forsaken World, Rusty Hearts, Blacklight Retribution & Starter Pack (no price yet)
• Railworks 3 – Summer Sale Collection – Railworks 3 plus 27 DLCs ($39.99)
• Red Orchestra Franchise Pack – Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, Mare Nostrum, Darkest Hour, Red Orchestra 2 plus Digital Deluxe DLC ($39.99)
• Square Hit Collection – Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition plus DLC, Hitman, Hitman 2, Hitman Blood Money, Just Cause 2 plus DLC, Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light plus DLC, Quantum Conundrum & soundtrack, Thief Gold, Thief II, Thief Deadly Shadows, Tomb Raider Legend, Tomb Raider Anniversary, Tomb Raider Underworld ($99.99 placeholder)
• Sniper Elite Franchise Pack – Sniper Elite, Sniper Elite V2 & Pre-order rifles ($99.99 placeholder)
• Space Marine Pack – Space Marine plus all DLC ($39.99)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Bundle – S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Call of Pripyat ($39.99 placeholder)
• Stardock Collection – Demigod, Galactic Civilizations 2 Ultimate Edition, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion ($39.99)
• Strategy First Complete Pack – Dangerous Waters, Space Empires 4 Deluxe, Disciples 2, Iron Warriors, Space Empires 5, 688I Hunter-Killer, Fleet Command, Sub Command, Birth of America, Flatout, Flatout 2, Flatout Ultimate Carnage, Flatout 3, Ghost Master, Vegas: Make it Big, Making History, Making History 2, Ducati World Championship, Culpa Innata, Sacred Gold, Darkstar One, Jack Keane, Jagged Alliance 2 Gold, Exodus From the Earth, Perimeter 2, Ankh: Heart of Osiris, Ankh: Battle of the Gods, BC Kings, Port Royale 2, 9th Company – Roots of Terror, Puzzle Kingdoms, Patrician III, The Great Art Race, Bad Rats, Razor 2, Chocolatier: Decadence by Design, Cooking Dash, Diaper Dash, Diner Dash, Dream Chronicles, Emerald City Confidential, Wandering Willows, Wedding Dash 2, Zenerchi, DinerTown Tycoon, DinerTown Detective Agency, Nightshift Code, Nightshift Legacy, Fitness Dash, Parking Dash, Mahjong Roadshow, Trijinx, Valerie Porter, Gemini Lost, Ironclads Collection, Dimensity, Hazen, World Basketball Manager 2010, Dark Fall: Lost Souls, Zombie Pirates, Hotel Dash, Deep Black, Fireburst ($99.99 placeholder)
• Sword of the Stars Franchise Bundle – Sword of the Stars Complete, Sword of the Stars 2: Lords of Winter, Immersion Pack DLCs ($99.99 placeholder)
• Tale of Tales Complete Pack – The Graveyard, The Path, Fatale (no price yet)
• THQ Collection – S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Darksiders, Dawn of War 2 series, Space Marine, Nexuiz, Homefront, Saints Row: The Third, Metro 2033, Company of Heroes Series, Titan Quest ($99.99 placeholder)
• Victoria Franchise Bundle – Victoria, Victoria 2 & DLC, Victoria 2: A House Divided expansion pack ($99 placeholder)

Possibles:

• 2K Games & Rockstar “Public Released” Pack (may not be a pack but recently updated) – no price yet – Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Borderlands & DLC, Bully, Civilization IV Complete, Civilization V & DLC, Civ V Gods and Kings, CivCity: Rome, Darkness II, Duke Nukem Forever & DLC, Freedom Force Pack, Grand Theft Auto series, LA Noire, Mafia II & DLC, Max Payne 1 and 2 (not 3 though), Manhunt, Midnight Club 2, MLB series, NBA series, Railroad Tycoon 2, Railroad Tycoon 3, Shattered Union, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Sid Meier’s Railroads!, SpecOps: The Line, Stronghold Pack, X-ComCollection
• Activision Pack (may not be a pack but recently updated) – no price yet – Everything, including MW3
• SEGA “Public Compilation” Pack (recently updated but may not be a pack in the sale) – no price yet – MegaDrive / Genesis Classics Collection, Aliens vs Predator, Alpha Protocol, Dreamcast Collection, Football Manager series, London 2012, Total War series, Sega Rally, The Club, The Incredible Hulk, The Golden Compass, Universe at War, Vancouver 2010, Virtua Tennis 2009
• Ubisoft Public (probably not a pack, but updated in the last couple of days so who knows) – no price yet – Everything on Steam (6 pages of it, too much to list)

Did you keep your Borderlands save file?

Borderlands 2 will now offer Vault Veteran Rewards for those players who played the first installment of the series. Gearbox has stated there will be exclusive customization items such as heads and skins available with Borderlands 2 when the game detects a former save file. Borderlands 2 launches on September 18th on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. In addition, a PlayStation Vita might be a possibility later.

NBA 2K13’s Xbox 360 and PS3 receives special Dynasty Edition

NBA 2K13 is available in Dynasty Edition now. You can pre-order the Dynasty Edition for $99.99 and it includes the following:

• The game
• New NBA 2K13 All-Star add-on content
• A full-sized Spalding basketball
• Art of Basketball book
• 2K Sports earbuds from Skullcandy
• A NBA 2K13-textured controller skin from Skinit

It is only available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 2nd; however you can purchase the game for PC, PSP, Wii, and Wii U with the fancy additions.

LittleBigPlanet Vita now has BioShock pre-order bonus

LittleBigPlanet Vita will be releasing late 2012. You can pre-order the game now and receive some bonuses. Available with pre-order, LittleBigPlanet can come with either the BioShock pack or the Knights of Old pack according to the PlayStation Blog. Big Daddy and Little Sister are available from the BioShock pack, while the Knights of Old pack gives you two knights, a renaissance maiden, and a dragon costume. At the moment, Amazon US is the only one with these pre-order specials.

Game weekend deals on Steam, Amazon, Gamersgate, and more

Weekend Game Deals – Summer is here! *article taken from PC Gamer because it would just be silly to rewrite what’s already been conveniently laid out heh*

Tyler Wilde at 01:47am June 23 2012

Gather ’round, discount hounds: I’ve tales of summer sales for ye. Steam has augmented Deus Ex prices by 75%, Amazon has kicked 75% off Super Street Fighter IV: AE, GamersGate’s Total War sale has come back for the wounded soldiers who missed last week’s Steam sale, and GOG has initiated 17 days of head-to-head dealmatches. See all of this week’s sales inside! (I promise to use fewer awful analogies.)

STEAM

As you know, Deus Ex games are all 75% off this weekend. There are a few smaller discounts as well, but that’s the big one for this weekend. Oh, except 80% off Bejeweled 3, if you want a game with an exceptional number of ‘e’s in the title.

• 75% off Deus Ex: Human Revolution – $7.49
• 75% off Deus Ex: Invisible War – $2.49
• 75% off Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition – $2.49
• 75% off Deus Ex: Human Revolution – The Missing Link – $3.74
• 75% off Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Explosive Mission Pack – $0.74
• 75% off Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Tactical Enhancement Pack – $0.49
• 80% off Bejeweled 3 – $3.99
• More Steam deals

AMAZON

[US Only] Much remains the same at Amazon, though it’s now selling Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition at 75% off, and both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 for $5 each.

• 75% off Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition – $9.99
• 75% off Mass Effect – $4.99
• 75% off Mass Effect 2 – $4.99
• 27% off Sid Meier’s Civilization V – $21.98
• 50% off PAYDAY The Heist – $9.99
• 26% off Saints Row: The Third – $36.91
• 71% off Trine – $5.83
• 27% off Borderlands – $22.04
• 27% off Metro 2033 – $14.65
• 25% off Medal of Honor – $15.05
• 50% off Mount & Blade: Warband – $9.95
• 26% off Dungeon Siege 3 – $14.73
• 50% off Tropico 4 – $19.99
• 25% off Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – $14.90
• More Amazon PC game downloads

ORIGIN

Origin is holding a “pre-order one, get one half off” sale. Origin’s deals page lists the pre-orders available and their resulting discounts. Some of them are silly, like 50% off SimCity 4, which is constantly discounted everywhere else. Pre-ordering Dead Space 3 can get you 50% off Mass Effect 3 or Battlefield 3, which isn’t bad…but you have to pre-order Dead Space 3. I prefer to avoid potential early adopter remorse.

GAMERSGATE

GamersGate is selling Total War stuff at 75% off or more, including the complete collection for $24.90.

• 80% off Total War Complete Collection – $24.90
• 75% off Total War: SHOGUN 2 – $7.49
• 75% off Rome: Total War Complete – $3.74
• 75% off Napoleon: Total War Imperial Edition – $4.99
• 75% off Amnesia: The Dark Descent – $4.95
• More deals from GamersGate

 

GAMESTOP

GameStop only has a few new sales, most notably Aliens vs. Predator, Saints Row: The Third, and L.A. Noire. GamersGate beats its Shogun 2 sale, and the rest are carried over from last week.

• 66% off Total War: SHOGUN 2 – $10.19 (GamersGate beats it)
• 50% off Aliens vs. Predator – $7.49
• 66% off Saints Row: The Third – $16.99
• 75% off L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition – $7.49
• 75% off Far Cry – $2.49
• 75% off Far Cry Bundle – $4.99
• 50% off PAYDAY The Heist – $9.99
• 75% off Assassin’s Creed – $4.99
• 50% off Assassin’s Creed 2 – $9.99
• 50% off Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – $14.99
• 60% off Assassin’s Creed Complete Pack – $51.98
• 78% off 2K Ultimate Bundle – $69.99
• More GameStop deals

 

GOG

I can’t list GOG’s sales at the moment, because it’s time for… BATTLE OF THE GAMES! Every day two games will be discounted — one at 40% off and one at 60% off — with the bigger discount going to the game with the most votes recorded the previous day. Go get your interactive marketing on, just be sure to vote for the games I want. (Please deactivate your neural firewall for a moment so I can upload my preferences.)

GAMEFLY

GameFly is rather barren this week — the only deal I spotted was the 50% off Payday: The Heist sale that’s being offered everywhere.

• 50% off PAYDAY: The Heist – $9.99

Let us know in the comments if you find any deals we missed!

Civilization V: Gods & Kings releasing Tuesday, features remade religion and diplomacy systems, Steam Workshop now integrated with Civ. V

This Tuesday, Civilization V‘s expansion pack, Gods & Kings, will release. Firaxis has incorporated these new features list below:

• Expanded Epic Game: The core game experience has been greatly expanded with the addition of new technologies (like Combined Arms), 27 new units (like the new 1-hex ranged unit Machine Gunner), 13 new buildings (like the Bomb Shelter), and 9 new Wonders (see below). Additionally, there are even more new units and buildings included in the three new Scenarios for modders to use.
• New Civilizations: The expansion will deliver 9 new civilizations, such as Carthage, Netherlands, the Celts, and the Maya (it is 2012, after all), along with their unique traits, units and buildings. The expansion also includes 9 new leaders including William I, Prince of Orange, Boudicca and Pacal the Great.
• Religion: A righteous people will seek out Faith to found a Pantheon of the Gods. As your Faith becomes stronger, you can cultivate Great Prophets who build on these simple beliefs to create a religion that you can customize and enhance as desired. Are you tolerant of other religions or is this the one true faith? Are you focused on Gold, Arts or Military? Beliefs can even unlock custom buildings that only people of your religion can construct. Great prophets, missionaries and inquisitors help you spread your beliefs to other lands and gain the alliances of City States, and like-minded civilizations.
• Enhanced Diplomacy and Espionage: Establish embassies at foreign courts for closer ties (or clandestine operations). As the religions of the world start settling in, and the world moves into the Renaissance, you unlock your first spy (with more to come). Send them out to establish surveillance of foreign cities, steal advanced technologies from your strongest or wisest competitors, or interfere with city-state alliances. All of your actions can have a diplomatic impact if discovered, so always tread carefully.
• City-States: Two new city-state types have been added (Mercantile and Religious) to bring all new advantages to the table. The city-state quest system has received a complete overhaul to decrease the importance of gold and add a whole range of new quests that further the narrative of the game, as well as make the diplomatic victory a more varied option. Ally with Marrakech to get access to their unique luxury resources! Vatican City and Jerusalem are holy cities that play key roles in the religious struggle.
• World Domination: The fight for world domination is now more dynamic than ever before. The Gods and Kings expansion features a reworked combat system and AI that puts more emphasis on a balanced army composition. The new system allows your lines to stand longer than they could before, so you, as a player, can make smarter tactical decisions without worrying about a single unlucky roll of the dice.
• Naval Combat: Your navy is now split into two different ship types, melee and ranged. This means that no coastal city should be considered safe, and can now fall to a surprise naval attack. Additionally, all embarked units now have Defensive Embarkation, and can stack with a naval unit for extra protection. Add to this the new Great Admiral, and the high seas have become a much more dangerous place.
• New Wonders: There will be 9 new Wonders with all new effects including Neuschwanstein, the Great Mosque of Djenne, the Terracotta Army, the Great Firewall, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
• Three new Scenarios:
  • Medieval: Grow your medieval kingdom into one of the great nations of Renaissance Europe, fending off outside invasions from Mongols and Ottoman Turks and fighting the religious wars of the Crusades and Reformation!
  • Fall of Rome: Play as either Eastern Rome or Western Rome trying to fend off the barbarians OR as one of the barbarians themselves.
  • Empires of the Smoky Skies: Build flying airships and huge tractor-like tanks from the unique tech tree of this Victorian science-fiction scenario, and use them to spread your empire across the pre-industrial world.

Also check below to see the developers talk about the new integrations to the critically acclaimed 2010 PC game. Pre-purchase it on Steam here for just $26.99, $3 off of the original price due to a pre-order sale. Also Valve has incorporated the Steam Workshop with Civilization V, therefore people can create mods for the strategic turn-based game. However Steam Workshop is not supported with Mac for Civilization V.

BioShock will receive an Ultimate Rapture Edition

BioShock Infinite is delayed until 2013, but BioShock and BioShock 2 will be receiving a special edition called the BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition, according to the British Board of Film and Classification. The UK Edition will feature BioShock and BioShock 2 with all previous DLCs.

According to BBFC, this is what they had to say about the games’ description (possible spoiler ahead):

“During normal gameplay, the BioShock Ultimate Rapture compilation contains frequent strong bloody violence. The depiction of violence is similar throughout the original game and its sequel, with sight of spraying blood as enemies are attacked with a range of weapons, including a mechanised drill and a rivet gun.

“In spite of the fantastical nature of ‘Rapture’ and the heavy science fiction elements present in the narrative, such as the ability to use special destructive powers including freezing, immolation and telekinesis, the violence has a visceral feel during much of the combat. Enemies, including genetically mutated humans, twitch and scream as they are gunned down, and weapons such as a spear gun allow the player to pin characters to the wall in a cloud of blood. It is also possible to shoot enemies after death, with blood spurting from the corpses.

“At various points, the player is also given a moral choice to either kill or save ‘Little Sisters’ (possessed little girls who harvest the corpses scattered around the city). Such a scenario is clearly fantastical, although the player sees the girl reduced to a slimy writhing creature if he or she decides to harvest the girl rather than saving her. At ’15’, the BBFC’s Guidelines state ‘Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury.’ The frequency and visceral impact of the violence exceeds this limit, with a dwelling on the infliction of both pain and injury throughout.

“The game also includes some very strong language during gameplay, as well as numerous uses of strong language. The very strong language is most appropriately classified at ’18’.”

NBA 2K13 to release in October

NBA 2K13 will be released on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PSP on October 2nd for North America and then October 5th worldwide, according to 2K Sports. 2k Sports also plans to release a Wii U version which is in-development. Those who pre-order the game will receive the All-Star Weekend DLC , which contains the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, which will only be playable in “Blacktop” mode due to EA’s exclusive rights to the All-Star Weekend setup.

Borderlands 2 new screenshots

 

Borderlands 2 gets two collector’s editions

One of the most anticipated sequels of the year has now received two collector’s editions. If you have already pre-ordered 2K Games and Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 2 from Amazon, Gamestop or Best Buy, you will receive the Borderlands 2 Premier Club which includes:

Borderlands 2 Premier Club (above):

• Gearbox Gun Pack (collection of unique guns)
• Golden Key (unlocks a rare in-game item in the Golden Sanctuary Loot Chest)
• Vault Hunter’s Relic (boosts your gear-hunting fortune)
• The Mechromancer Character Class (available after launch. Can also be purchased if you do not pre-order the game)

Now also if you pre-order with Gamestop, you’ll additionally receive the exclusive Gamestop pre-order offer which is Borderlands 2 Creature Slaughter Dome. It’s basically a big arena where you can kill monsters and receive loot and experience that you will be able to bring into the main game. It also includes Noxxi’s Rocket Launcher.

Now onto the big collector’s editions. There’s the Borderlands 2 Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector’s Edition which is going for $99.99 and includes:

Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector’s Edition ($99.99)

• Copy of the game
• Marcus Kincaid bobblehead
• Inside the Vault: The Art & Design of Borderlands 2 book
• Sticker set
• Map of Pandora
• Download code for the digital comic
• Un-specified bonus downloadable in-game content

Then there is the Borderlands 2 Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition which is for $149.99 and includes:

Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition ($149.99)

• Everything from the Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector’s Edition detailed above
• Replica loot chest
• Steel book case
• Creatures of Pandora ID chart
• Lithograph postcard set
• Field notes from Sir Hamerlock
• Cloth map of Pandora
• Numbered certificate of authenticity

In addition to each collector’s edition having immense amount of loot in their box, you’ll also receive the Borderlands 2 Premier Club with any of the two Borderlands 2 collector’s editions. The game is slated to release on September 18th on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

BioShock Infinite delayed to 2013

You’ll have to wait for next year for the third installment of the BioShock series. BioShock Infinite has been pushed back to February 26, 2013. In addition to the game not being released this coming fall, it will also not be featured at E3 or Gamescom held in Germany. Check out the message from Ken Levine that was dropped in Game Informer’s inbox this morning.

A MESSAGE FROM KEN LEVINE

When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing. 

Since then, we’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.

I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco.

The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite.

What does this mean for you? It means a bit more waiting, but more importantly, it means an even better BioShock Infinite. The great can be made greater, and we owe it to both ourselves and to you, our fans, to take this opportunity. Irrational Games is one of those rare developers lucky enough to ask the people who sign the checks: “Hey, can we have a few more of those checks?”

We are also going to hold off on showing BioShock Infinite at the big events of the summer, like E3 and Gamescom. That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box. Preparing for these events takes time away from development, time we’re going to use instead to get the best version of Infinite into your hands in February.