Little Big Planet Karting in 2012

Sony has formally announced it's newest collaboration project from developers United Front Games (ModNation Racers) and Media Molecule (Little Big Planet), Little Big Planet Karting.  Karting will follow they "Play. Create. Share." motto that has been such a huge success for the Little Big Planet franchise, allowing players to create their own tracks, make game rules and weapons, customize their sackboy, karts, track scenery, etc. and then share it all over the PlayStation Network. The game will also feature objective-based missions, boss battles, mini-games and obviously competitive and cooperative races.

No word on an official date as of yet, but it will be in 2012. Watch the announce trailer below.

Kingdoms of Amalur DLC & Mini Review

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

EA has announced the first piece of DLC for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning which will be out on Mar 20 2012 for XBOX360, PlayStation, Origin and Steam (prices not yet announced).  The new DLC titled, 'Legend of Dead Kel' is expected to be "gigantic", adding an entirely new continent, Gallows End, to the already massive game including new enemies, dungeons, items, player housing and tons of exploring.  Let's take a look;

• New Questline of Epic Proportions: The Legend of Dead Kel is only part of the story of Gallows End. It intertwines with side quests, dungeons and entertaining new characters.
• New Enemies, Dungeons & Loot: Multiple new enemies, enemy variants, a new dungeon type (Dverga Fastings), three new twists of Fate, eight new armor sets, eight new shields and 18 new unique weapons.
• Massive Stash: New player housing, Gravehal Keep is a massive estate with multiple buildings, side quests, back stories and perks. Possible upgrades as well.
• Explore your Heart Out: The DLC offers 15% additional land to traverse and explore in the already massive world. 

MINI REVIEW: If you have yet to experience KOA: Reckoning, I highly recommend it! It feels like a combination of Fable and Dragon Age Origins with the styling of Kameo paired with amazing environments and music straight from a major motion picture.  The story can be a bit weak and points but there is so much to be done, so much to explore and so much loot to be had it will keep you glued to the game for days! I am already 60 hours in and feel as if I am maybe about 1/2 way through (note: I am pursuing all side quests and exploring every dungeon, building and open world area because I love loot).

Borderlands 2 dated, 'Doomsday' Trailer

Borderlands 2 release date has been announced, Sept 18 2012 for North America and Sept 21 2012 internationally for PC, XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3.



Gearbox also announced they will be offering access to a Premier Club for those who pre-order from participating retailers.  Included with the pre-order Premier Club comes the Gearbox Gun Pack, a Golden Key and the Vault Hunter's Relic.  The skinny on each: the gun pack includes a collection of unique guns to help the player get started in Pandora.  The golden key unlocks a rare item in the Golden Sanctuary Loot Chest.  The Relic in an in-game item that boosts players' gear hunting fortune.

MM3 'Overwatch' out Feb 21 2012

Continuing on in the Modern Warefare 3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite, the next content drop will be on Feb 21 2012 and is set to include 1 new map, 'Overwatch'.

Overwatch is reminiscent of MW2's Highrise, it is a "near symmetrical" two story construction site atop a New York City skyscraper.  With a center bridge and numerous side routes, and just like Highrise, no railings or walls to hold you on the map, beware of the edge.

Overwatch - The Bridge

Overwatch - Crowd Control

Overwatch - Outer View

In addition, the recent press release also gave mention to next month's content drop which will include a new multiplayer map called Black Bow and two new Spec Ops missions, Black Ice and Negotiator.

Op6 Clan Montage #1

Op6 Gaming has released it's first clan montage on their YouTube channel, YouTube.com/Op6Gaming.



If you are interested in joining Op6 Gaming, we are currently recruiting members with Elite Founder Status, contact Venux (XBOX Live Gamertag).

xCity: Game Review

xCity - Free for Android by developer Aidi Game

My boyfriend and I downloaded xCity for Android last week and have not been able to put it down.  xCity allows you to build your very own virtual city, whether it is a quiet town, bustling city, Christmas village or whatever else you can dream up.

As the Mayor, you design, build and manage your own city in real time while interacting with other Mayors in the Papayan World (25 million players and counting).  I have tried many virtual city games for Android in the free market and this is by far and away my favorite, with the best variety in buildings, layout and challenges. It is easy to pick up quickly and play casually with plenty to keep you busy, and doesn't require the concept of 'energy' like most others which always slows down city progress. Main game features include;

• City customization (name of city, easy to redesign anytime you want)
• Choose from over 200 different kinds of houses, businesses, community buildings and decorations (new content is available frequently with an emphasis on seasonal content such as Halloween, Christmas, etc.)
• Plant dozens of different fruits and vegetables in your crops
• Play with friends all over the world; send gifts, help build each others new buildings, manage their cities while they are away, open treasure boxes, build franchises in other Mayors cities
• Challenges to tackle; you always have three at a time, complete one and get a new one
• Build your level and reputation; Gain XP and rep points for collecting income, constructing new buildings, helping friends, etc.  At each level you unlock new buildings, decorations and on occasion land

City Screen

Build Menu

One of the great features is that once you unlock the casino, you have the ability to turn your in game coin into in game cash (which unlike most others, you typically have to shell out real money for). You can gamble with cash, coin or random gifts and pay tables change for x1, x2, x3. Spin the wheel in the casino to make matches which give you bonuses like cash, coin, rep points, XP, buildings, decorations and more!  

If you haven't played this game yet, I highly recommend you give it a go (best played on a tablet).  Add me as your first friend 'RedLace' and let's build our cities together!

MW3 DLC, Free Tokens and New Apps

The first Modern Warefare 3 DLC will be kicking off the "content season" in January (rumor has is, XBOX360 users will have the new DLC available in the XBOX Live Marketplace on Jan 24 2012, with PS3/PC following 30 days later). With Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software all chipping in on the new DLC, it is sure to make a splash however, beyond knowing the first map is called Park, specific details are still yet to be announced.

'Park', one of the new maps revealed for the Jan 2012 DLC

Happy Holidays from Call of Duty ELITE!  If you got this email in your inbox this past weekend, that means you were one of the lucky ones to sign up and pay for your ELITE subscription early.  As a holiday treat, Beachhead Studio and the Call of Duty ELITE team have given each of us a free Prestige Token and 2 hours of double XP.  These bonuses were automatically applied to your gamer tag and will appear next time you log in to Modern Warefare 3.

Coming in Jan 2012, iOS and Android will now have access to the Call of Duty ELITE app on mobile devices.  The app lets you track your challenges, check your stats and change load outs in addition to other cool features.

AC Revelations DLC Pack 1 & 2

Two new DLC packs will be available before Feb 2012

Assassin's Creed Revelations has been out for less than a month, and already they will be releasing their first DLC on Dec 12 2011 and another DLC on Jan 24 2012.  I have only just opened my game and completed the first DNA sequence (been too busy shooting things in MW3), so this comes surprisingly early and I have to wonder, when developers release DLC this quickly, it seems to me it comes out of greed and probably should have been included with the full game.

The first DLC, The Ancestors Character Pack, includes four new playable characters for multiplayer mode.  Privateer, Corsaid, Brigand and Gladiator, each character has their own unique assassination moves, weapons and taunts. Price will be $3.99 for PlayStation 3 or 320 MS Points for XBOX 360, available Dec 13 2011.

The second DLC, The Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack, which has gotten an early reveal by GameStop, will include six new multiplayer maps. Siena, Jerusalem, Dyers, San Donato, Firenze and the Imperial District of Constantinople.  The estimated release date is Jan 24 2012, but this could change and price is yet to be announced.

New 360 Dashboard Arrives Tomorrow

Social - Your new friends list on the new dashboard

Tomorrow on Dec 06 2011 the new XBOX 360 dashboard with it's Bing search look and features will arrive (this is not an optional download).  The new design is quite a lot different from the current look and will offer new features to users, especially those with Kinect.

Here is what you can expect to arrive on your 360 consoles dashboard over the next month or so:

United States Consoles:

Dec 06 2011

• ESPN on XBOX Live
• EPIX
• Hulu Plus
• Netflix
• MSNBC

Other Features Expected After Launch

• Crackle (Sony Pictures)
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel)
• MSNBC.com
• TMZ (Warner Bros.)
• UFC on XBOX Live
• Verizon FiOs TV
• VEVO
• Vudu (Wal-Mart)
• YouTube
• CinemaNow (Best Buy)
• HBO Go
• MLB.TV (MLB Advanced Media)
• Xfinity on Demand (Comcast)

Global Consoles:

Dec 06 2011

• Hulu (Japan)
• LOVEFiLM (UK)
• Netflix (Canada)
• Premium Play by MediaSet (Italy)
• Sky Go (SkyDE) (Austria, Germany)
• Telfonica Espana - Movistar Imagenio (Spain)

Other Features Expected After Launch

• 4 on Demand - C4 (UK)
• ABC iView - Australian Broadcasting Corp. (Australia)
• AlloCine (France, Germany, Spain, UK)
• Astral Media's Disney XD (Canada)
• BlinkBox (UK)
• Crackle - Sony Pictures (Australia, Canada, UK)
• Dailymotion (available in 32 countries)
• Demand 5 (UK)
• DIGI+ (Spain)
• GolTV - Mediapro (Spain)
• Mediathek/ZDF (Germany)
• MSN (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, UK)
• MUZU.tv (Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK)
• NineMSN (Australia)
• Real Sports (Maple Leaf Sports) (Canada)
• Rogers on Demand Online (Canada)
• SBS on Demand (Australia)
• TMZ - Warner Bros. (Canada)
• TVE - RTVE.es (Spain)
• UFC on XBOX Live (Canada)
• VEVO (Canada, Ireland, UK)
• YouTube (available in 24 countries)
• Antena 3 (Spain)
• BBC (UK)
• MLB.TV (available in 23 countries)
• Telenovelas Sports (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, UK)

Arkham City DLC set for Dec 20

Iceberg Lounge location will be included as a challenge map, The Iceberg

According to Batman Arkham City's official Twitter page, new challenge maps will be released as DLC on Dec 20 2012, just in time for Christmas.

The DLC will include three new maps, Batcave, Joker's Carnival and The Iceberg.  These maps may sound familiar since all three maps were available as pre-order bonuses from various retailers (for instance I received the Joker's Carnival Challenge Pack for pre-ordering with GameStop).  Curious to see how they price this considering many of us would be paying for a map we already own.