Gameplay trailer for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 'Dawnguard' DLC is grim

Side with the Dawnguard or the growing darkness in Skyrim's first content add-on

Bethesda has set loose a shivers-inducing trailer for Dawnguard, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's first content add-on, along with some initial details on the add-on's release. Dawnguard is planned for summer 2012 for the Xbox 360, and will cost 1600 MSP ($20 unless you can find a sale) -- release details for other platforms have yet to be revealed. Beyond that, no other details were confirmed via Bethesda, but there's much to be taken from what's shown in the trailer below.

E3 2012 list of confirmed games already looks impressive

E3 is less than a week away, and if you're still not sure what to expect at this year's con, check our comprehensive list of confirmed titles. These range from the big guys like EA and Activision to smaller companies as well.

Keep in mind these are just the games we already know about. We're aware that the announcements are ongoing, so the list will be updated accordingly as they roll in. Other seemingly obvious titles have been exclude because they're just rumors at this point, but don't worry, because we'll have a list just for those later.

Jet Set Radio coming to Vita

Sega isn't just bringing back its classic rollerblading graffiti game Jet Set Radio to PC and consoles soon, but also Sony's handheld.

Come summertime, you'll be able to play the title on Vita, complete with HD upgrades, touch and camera support, and at least some of the original soundtrack.

“The fan reaction to our recent reveal of Jet Set Radio has been incredible!” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “As Jet Set Radio is focused on creativity, the touch capabilities of the PlayStation VITA are proving to be a perfect fit.”

SOURCE:Neoseeker

Minecraft' bumps 'Black Ops' down the Xbox LIVE chart

A refreshing change swept through Xbox LIVE's most-played list today when Minecraftclaimed second place, bumping Call of Duty: Black Ops down to third place for the first time since the game's release.

Call of Duty: Black Ops held the No. 1 spot on the charts from the moment of its release in 2010 and was only bumped down to No. 2 when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 came out. While the rest of the chart has fluctuated from week to week, those two games have held onto the top spots the entire time.

The most-played list is determined by the number of unique users, worldwide, who are playing the game while connected to Xbox LIVE.

Minecraft also came in first in the most-played Xbox LIVE Arcade titles, beating Trials Evolution and The Walking Dead.

SOURCE: the verge

Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector's Set coming fall, priced at $150

If you're a massive (figuratively or literally) Street Fighter fan and feel you simply haven't poured enough money into the franchise yet, Capcom's got you covered with the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector's Set.

In all fairness, the Collector's Set does include a ton of Street Fighter stuff, though we'd expect no less for $150. So what exactly does that triple-digit price fetch in SF goods? Four games -- including the new Street Fighter X Tekken-- with DLC, the anime feature films, an 8" Ryu statue, multi-disc soundtrack, a modest artbook, and more.

Leaked redesigned Wii U controller image shows analog sticks

A QA tester at Traveller's Tales Games has leaked an image depicting a redesigned Wii U controller.

Posting the picture on his Twitter account, which has since been deleted, the revised controller of Nintendo's forthcoming console features several minor changes, in addition to the implementation of analog sticks, which replaces the nubs.

New Dragon Ball Z Game For PS3 And Xbox 360 Is The Final "Budokai" Title

Dragon Ball Z for Kinect isn’t the only Dragon Ballfighting game Namco Bandai is working on. V-Jump announced a new entry in the Dragon Ball Sparking!series – better known as the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi line in the West.

Dragon Ball Sparking! Omega is a sequel to Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (aka Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor in Japan) and will be the final "Sparking" game series.

The magazine says Dragon Ball Sparking! Omega will have the most characters in the series. Dragon Ball Sparking! Omega is slated for release this winter on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

SOURCE: Siliconera

Blog Masters note: I am hyped for this, I used to play Tenkaichi 3 all the time!, leave your opinions in the comments below

Rayman Origins demo now available on 3DS

One of the best games from 2011 is now coming to the 3DS. Ubisoft announced today that a demo for Rayman Origins is now available via the Nintendo eShop, just for the 3DS. The full game will release on June 5, 2012 and retail for $29.99.

The demo will include three full levels from the full Rayman Origins title, with no time limit or extraneous limitations. The three levels available will be Swinging Caves, Playing on the Shade, and Shooting me Softly. Each of the levels shows a different type of playstyle found in Rayman Origins, standard platforming, a treasure chest chase, and a side-scrolling flying level.

If you haven't checked Rayman Origins out yet, and are looking for a great looking game for your 3DS, this may be your game. Give a look to this trailer Ubisoft sent along with the demo announcement, and try the demo out for yourself today.

SOURCE: Neoseeker (trailer in link)

4000 view milestone!

I'm about 60 views late, but we have finally reached our 4000 view milestone!

Halo 4 box art revealed

Developer 343 Industries has revealed the final box art for Halo 4.

The studio sent 32 miniature images to Xbox Live members via emails entitled "Your piece of the Halo 4puzzle". Naturally, this was inevitably going to form something, hence the "puzzle", and as a resultHalo fans have pieced together the box art for Halo 4.

In the cover art, series' protagonist Master Chief is seen near the collapse of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. Since the conclusion of Halo 3, both Chief and Cortana have been on the ship within space until they discover an unknown planet.

Halo 4, the first major installment in the series that isn't being developed by series creator Bungie, is due for a worldwide release on November 6, 2012.

SOURCE: Neoseeker

Diablo III Starter Edition ready at launch, invite only for 30 days

Blizzard will be continuing its "Starter Edition" trend with Diablo III, beginning with the game's launch tomorrow. To try it out the first 30 days after launch, though, you'll need an invite/Guest Pass from a friend who has bought the game -- time to start sucking up.

If you've played the beta, this demo won't offer you much you haven't already seen: you play the first act up to the Skeleton King, and your level cap is 13. Also, there's no Real Money Auction House, and matchmaking is limited to other demo players.

Back in April, Battle.net users found the Starter Edition had mysteriously unlocked for everyone.  Turned out the unlock was a bug, however, and anyone who attempted to access it were sent straight back to closed beta.

SOURCE: Neoseeker

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition was "profitable in an hour," says Notch

Mojang certainly made the right decision by agreeing to co-develop Minecraft for 360, because the XBLA version was making a profit within an hour of release. 

Creator and Mojang boss Markus "Notch" Persson dropped the bomb earlier today on Twitter:

"Well then. Saw the official sales numbers for the first 24 hours of Minecraft Xbox 360, and it's very, very good. Profitable in an hour."

4J Studios' console adaptation of Mojang's insanely popular adventure title also broke XBLA sales records within 24 hours of release, selling more than any other Xbox LIVE Arcade title.  Just a few weeks ago, Trials Evolution held the crown, making Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition the second record-breaker in roughly three weeks. Guess this "Arcade NEXT" thing is really paying off for Microsoft.

Interestingly, FEZ developer Polytron still aren't privvy to sales numbers for their game, even a month after it hit LIVE. We think it's safe to assume Notch is just one hell of a negotiator, especially since his studio managed to talk Microsoft into allowing a limited number of free updates for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. 

SOURCE: Neoseeker

The Elder Scrolls Online officially confirmed, set a millenium before Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls Online is officially a go, Bethesda confirmed this morning, and some of us are eating our words.  Previously, rumors hinted at a major TES Online reveal in May, and though dismissed as just a rumor, Beth pulled through.

No date beyond 2013 was given, but we do know Elder Scrolls Online is being developed by ZeniMax Online, and the devs were sworn to secrecy for some time before today's announcement.  Now that'show you run a leak-proof operation.

Rock Band mobile game no longer playable May 31, still for sale without disclaimer

EDIT: The game is no longer facing termination

EA has caught the Internet's rage yet again, this time for Rock Band iOS, a game that will soon be discontinued but is still being sold without any such disclaimers. 

Rock Band can still be purchased from the App Store for $4.99, but game owners are being shown a pop-up message in the app warning them (kindly) that Rock Band iOS will no longer be playable at the end of May.  Needless to say, some folks are rather angry about the whole thing, and the product page is receiving a steadily increasing number of negative reviews directed mostly at publisher EA. 

Note the reviews shown might vary depending on what device you're using.  Below is the in-app warning and a sample of reviews taken off an iPhone:

Co-developed by EA Montreal and Harmonix, Rock Band iOS was released in 2009, published by EA and MTV Games.  Though the Rock Band brand now belongs to Harmonix, publishing is still handled by Electronic Arts.

Harmonix brand manager John Drake recently clarified via Twitter:

To those asking: @Harmonix doesn't publish Rock Band on iOS. Working to better understand what's up ASAP. Sorry we don't have more info yet.

Many thanks to tekmosis and Invidia for the tips.

SOURCE: Neoseeker

New Facebook Page

I have extended Random Game News and Facts reach to Facebook with our new group page, feel free to like/join if you want to (no one is forcing you here)

Random Game News and Facts FB page

Skyrim first DLC due this summer, named "Dawnguard"

So how about that Skyrim DLC, huh?  As promised, Bethesda is really upping the whole teasing thing today, giving TES fans our first visual taste.

Again, this isn't so much an announcement as another teaser, but we now know the name of Skyrim's first add-on: Dawnguard.  Behold, ye wretched mortals.

Gaze into his eyes and tell me that's not remotely unsettling.  What could that intense gaze mean?  Is our Dragonborn possessed by forces unseen?  What the heck does this have to do with Snow Elves?  More importantly, is the inclusion of arrows intended to hint at crossbows* being added?

So many questions, none of which will be answered for quite some time, since Bethesda has no plans to say anymore about Dawnguard until E3.  The company did tag the DLC with a summer release, however, and Xbox 360 owners will have first dibs before Dawnguard hits PC and PS3.

* Crossbows use bolts, but we're still damn excited.

SOURCE: Neoseeker

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Vita version dated

Konami has announced that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is due for a release on the PlayStation Vita this June.

While an exact release date has yet to be revealed, the publisher confirmed a "late" June launch period for the collection.

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection has already seen a release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Februrary, and the handheld version will implement a rebalanced user interface. Additionally, Kojima Productions' intriguing Transfarring system will make its debut, which allows players to share their data between the PS3 and Vita.

PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker won't be included, but in its place are Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, as well as an upgraded version of both Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

SOURCE: Neoseeker