Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition will include DLC characters unlocked

Not too surprising anymore

Whenever Tekken Tag Tournament 2 arrives for Wii U, the game will already have DLC characters and stages from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions unlocked. So confirms producer Katsuhiro Harada during a private Namco Bandai event this week.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition already bundles in some extra content, but Harada felt that all versions should have access to the same characters. During the event, he also downplayed the recently discovered content found on the Xbox 360 disc, noting that "not all the content [Namco Bandai] bplanned for the PS3 and 360 has been revealed yet, so there's still some stuff left."

Namco Bandai certainly aren't the only company trying to lure gamers to Wii U versions of previously released games this way. BioWare and EA are doing the same with Mass Effect 3 on Wii U, which will include an extrasquad member and associated content that is otherwise available only through Collector's Edition or as paid DLC.

Company of Heroes 2 Collector's Edition is $100, Steam pre-orders include Team Fortress 2 hats

Skins, hats, Digital Collector's Edition detailed

THQ has announced a digital special edition of Company of Heroes 2, the RTS from Relic coming out next year, plus a number of pre-order bonuses for the especially eager gamers out there.

For most participating retailers, the pre-order bonus entails two vehicle skins for medium weight vehicles -- the German Rotbraun and Soviet Leningrad -- in addition to beta access during closed beta.

As for Steam, folks who reserve the game there will enrolled in the "Steam Pre-Purchase Tiered Reward Program." That basically entails unlocks for Team Fortress 2 and Dawn of War II.

For Origin pre-orders, you'll get all "global pre-order incentives," with an exclusive Soviet Bryansk Front vehicle skin for heavy vehicles.

Pre-order from THQ and you'll get the same stuff as all other pre-orders, plus the Command Pass, which grants players a download of the new bonus multiplayer maps and take part in members-only events. For everyone else, the Command Pass will be purchasable after the game is out.

If you're looking at the Digital Collector's Edition, that'll be $100 total, but you do get the first three single-player "Content Packs" whenever they come out. On top of that, there's the Command Pass mentioned above, the exclusive heavy German Whitewash and Soviet Winter Cobblestone tank skins, a Veteran badge to display, and the original Company of Heroes with both expansions.

The Humble Indie Bundle 6 is here, pay what you want for Torchlight, Dustforce and more

Beat the average and also get Dustforce

Did the summer video game slump just end or what? The Humble Indie Bundle 6 has just gone live and it's as good as ever, packaging up six epic games that will make everyone say, "Why did I ever spend $60 on a game ever before in my life?" We've got action role-playing game Torchlight (Torchlight II releases on Thursday), action-platformer Rochard, puzzle-platformer Vessel, Breakout style paddle game Shatter, top-down space combat gameSpace Pirates and Zombies, and if you beat the average the indie hit Dustforce is also included. The summer drought is officially over.

As always, pay whatever you want to acquire five of the games, but you'll have to beat the average (currently rushing past $5) to get Dustforce too. And of course, you can split your payment in-between the developers, charity and a Humble Bundle tip. Each title is supported on PC, Mac and Linux...  err, well Vessel still needs like 24-72 hours to wrap up their porting code. Plus, each of their soundtracks is included as well!

If you're interested, head on over to the Humble Bundle website and check out what they're selling yourself. Or, we've got the official Humble Bundle trailer below, too. Oh, and if previous Humble Bundles are good examples, expect some extra goodies to be added sometime between now and 14 days from now when the Humble Bundle 6 expires.

Black Mesa released, return to Gordon Freeman's humble origins

It's not Half-Life 3, but it's still pretty sweet

Black Mesa has been officially released by the aptly named Black Mesa Modifcation team. The Source Engine upgraded version of Half-Life isn't yet available through Steam, but the developer's website has multiple options for download (it's just a little borked right now). The best part is, the modification is completely free! In order to playBlack Mesa Steam will have to installed, as well as as the Source SDK Base 2007 which is also free. Everyone should be crackin' crabs with a crowbar in no time.

In development since 2004, Black Mesa's goals have been to create a modernized Half-Life built on the Source Engine that fans could be proud of. It won't be the first time Half-Life was ported to Source, Valve did that themselves with Half-Life Source in 2004. The Valve port was met with mild dismay that Half-Life hadn't been upgraded to the extent it could have been. At the time, even Gabe Newell acknowledged the port's faults, but insisted the fan community would inevitably create a superior product -- and how.

One of the most anticipated modifications in years, Black Mesa was quickly voted one of the first titles to be accepted through Steam's Greenlight system. Play the classic Half-Life, updated for a modern audience, right now. Nihilanth, the G-Man, and head-crabs small and Gonarch await. 

Nintendo Wii U's North American release date is November 18, base price $299

Beating Japan's Wii U Release date by half a month

During Nintendo's live Wii U event, Reggie Fils-Aime started the show with his biggest reveal: the Nintendo Wii will release on November 18, 2012. It will come in two different bundles, a basic bundle that is colored white, and a premium bundle that is colored white. The first will cost $299 and the latter will cost $349. BAM. Reggie doesn't hold back with that junk; Reggie delivers.

The white, Basic, set will include the following:

• Wii U console
• Wii U GamePad
• AC adapter
• HDMI cable
• Sensor bar

The black, Deluxe set will have all of the content of the Basic set and:

• Extra storage memory
• GamePad charging cradle
• Stands for GamePad and Console
• NintendoLand game 
• Digital Deluxe Promotion

What is the Digital Deluxe Promotion, you may ask. A special service that will reward digital purchases with point that can later be used for more purchases. Reggie promises more on top of this, so expect more details soon. 

The conference is just beginning, so expect more information soon.

Quick note, the European and Australian release date for the Wii U has been confirmed to be November 30, between the North American release date and Japan's on December 8.