Video Games

New Transformers, Spider-Man, X-Men Games for 2011

Activision is prepared to roll out new Transformer, Spider-Man and X-Men games for 2011, according to a story on CVG. The publishing giant held an investors conference call Nov. 4 where Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg promised new releases in “proven franchises,” such as the above properties.

Hirshberg said that these games would be in addition to a new installment of the Call of Duty franchise in 2011. One X-Men game has already been announced for next year – X-Men Destiny, which will be developed by Too Human developer Silicon Knights. The announcement of new Spider-Man and Transformers games are not too surprising given the positive reception of this summer’s Transformers: War For Cybertron and September’s Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Preview

People who say Facebook isn’t the future of gaming have not tried out the new Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit demo. Developed by Criterion, the studio behind the Burnout series, Hot Pursuit’s most touted feature is “AutoLog,” a type of in-game social network that keeps constant tabs on the progress of other racers on your friends list.

This goes beyond just a regular leaderboard, though, and makes an earnest attempt at making a community out of a racing game. After going back to the main menu after my first race, message posts advertising my friends’ best race times continually floated past my screen, egging me on to try just one time.

Join The Battlefield Play 4 Free Beta

Battlefield Play4Free is exactly what you probably think it is.  Electronic Arts already has a free to play version of the series, the cartoonyBattlefield Heroes, which is currently running.  Now they’ve announced the next version of the game to use the play online for free plan, but will have a more realistic design scheme, and will use a modern day setting more akin to Battlefield Bad Company, or Battlefield 2. The game is set to go live in Spring of 2011, with a beta test starting later this month.

Weekend Sales: Dishonorable Discharge

There are yet more weekend deals to mention today.  The recent Medal of Honor game was given a dishonorable discharge by the gaming community, and is already getting its first markdown.  A substantial one to boot, as it is now cut by 20% as part of Amazon’s daily deal.  You can buy it for $39.99 on PC, XBox or PS3.  This is only for today, Friday, so grab it while you can. 

Hulu Plus for all PS3 Users Next Week

Previously exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers, from next week Hulu Plus will become available to all US PlayStation Network members, and you will no longer need an invitation to subscribe.  The announcement was made along with news that Hulu Plus will also be available on select Sony BRAVIA TVs

Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle Missing AC Adapter

Those of you with multiple Xbox 360 consoles may want to take heed. If you buy the new Kinect Xbox 360 bundle, you will not receive a Kinect power adapter. The reason of course is that the new 360’s do not require the power cord as they have a dedicated port so the Kinect can draw its power directly from the console. If you want to use the Kinect on another 360 in your house, say one that is not a Slim, you may be out of luck. The only way to get the cord is to buy the standalone Kinect.

The Tester Season 2 on PSN

Sony’s reality show on PSN, The Tester, has been picked up for another season. The show focuses on a group of young adults who compete for a job as a QA tester for Sony. Why is getting a grueling, mind-numbing, low-paying job in development hell a prize? I guess you’ll just have to tune in to The Tester to find out. The second season already premiered on November 2nd, so there is still time to become engaged in the story. If you are a Plus subscriber, the first episode has already been downloaded for you… that’s not unsettling at all. Will ‘Cyrus’ Powers won the first season and is reportedly enjoying his new life with Sony, so maybe its not all bad. It is a golden opportunity to get a better job within the gaming world. We’ll just have to wait and see if the new contestants can make something from nothing.