The Retaliation Multiplayer DLC is now out now for Mass Effect 3 and as per usual, it is free. You now have two playable Volus classes and Turian jetpacks, need I say any more? Set it up in your download queue here or read more about it on the Bioware blog.
The legendary role-playing game creators at Bioware stepped forth with several announcements in the last twenty-four hours that are sending waves throughout gaming forums across the web. In a blog post published earlier today, Bioware confirmed that more Mass Effect 3 downloadable content is on the way. There will continue to be additions to the multiplayer side of the game, as well as new single-player content, the next episode of which is simply called Omega. We put our thinking caps on and we’ve come to the conclusion that this episode will revolve around the planet Omega, which played a large role in Mass Effect 2. In Mass Effect 2, Omega is controlled by Aria, an all powerful overlord who rules over the planets rival gangs with an iron fist. In Mass Effect 3, Aria has lost Omega to Cerberus, and fled to the Citadel where she plots to retake what she views as hers. The first single-player episode to be released for Mass Effect 3, Leviathan, is available for download now. In case you’re in need of a refresher, Mass Effect 3 uses Kinect to enable voice commands which add an entirely new element to the battle to save the galaxy.
In addition to the announcement of Omega, Bioware noted that the Mass Effect team is also hard at work on creating a new Mass Effect title that will likely be something bold and new for the franchise, as Mass Effect 3 concludes the franchise’s first trilogy and the story of protagonist, Commander Sheaperd. While we don’t currently have any details on where the sci-fi franchise will take us next, we sure are hoping that Kinect will be involved once again. The blog post also confirmed that a new franchise is being worked on behind closed doors at Bioware, who also just announced Dragon Age 3: Inquisition yesterday afternoon. There’s no word on whether the new Dragon Age, or the new IP will utilize Kinect in any way, but we thought you might like to know.
Finally, the co-founders of Bioware, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have announced that they have retired from both the studio and from gaming industry altogether. This string of announcements have likely been made to let fans know that new management is in place, and new projects are underway at Bioware. To check out the blog post for yourself, just click this link. That concludes this massive Bioware update.
What we are playing is a weekly column published every Sunday in which various members of our team let the world know which games have had them hooked over the past week and which ones they’re looking forward to. Keep up with the rest of our writers’ chatter by following each individual staff member on Twitter. Do us a favor and follow us @XKFans while you’re at it too.
Ryan Reynolds- More of the same for me this week. Just bits and pieces of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rage. I’m really looking forward to playing the Resident Evil 6 demo this coming week. As a big fan of the series, I’m interested to see if Capcom can get things back on track with RE6.
Ryan Fennel- I was able to try out the Armored Kill DLC for Battlefield 3. The new levels are far too large and boring for my tastes. If you are not in a vehicle you will not last long. Thus far, I prefer the Close Quarters DLC compared to this latest offering.
Other than Battlefield 3, I also started Joe Danger 2. The game is an enormous leap over the original. The mechanics and backgrounds regularly change in order to keep everything fresh. I saw one review identify it as Trials Evolution meets Super Mario World. That is a surprisingly accurate comparison. If you enjoyed the first, absolutely give this game a try!
Sean Prideaux- Mark of the Ninja and a little Guild Wars 2 for me. If you’ve seen any reviews of either, you know that they’re worth your time. Mark of the Ninja and it’s side-scrolling stealth mechanics are nearly perfect and I haven’t been this invested in a story in an MMO since the original Guild Wars.
Scott Waldyn- Finished a second playthrough of Mass Effect 3 with another character – James Tiberius Shepard. In particular, I played that new Leviathan DLC, which was a nice addition to the story of the Reapers.
Andy Tran- I’ve been able to spend some time playing Skyrim between my Guild Wars 2 sessions. It’s very easy to get distracted in this game just like GW2. Then I also dove back into StarCraft 2 to get ready for the Heart of the Swarm expansion. Just like getting back on a bike, but very punishing when you fall.
Now that you know what we are playing, we want to know what you are playing! Make yourself heard by leaving a comment below.
The hotly anticipated Leviathan add-on for Bioware’s role-playing game Mass Effect 3 is now available in exchange for 800 MSP on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Leviathan represents the first single-player downloadable content for Mass Effect 3, outside of the Extended Cut, the free update released a few months back that expanded on the game’s highly controversial ending. In Leviathan, players once again assume the role of Commander Sheaperd and his team as they race across the galaxy to uncover a secret so large in scale, that it’s said to be powerful enough to destroy the mysterious and life extinguishing threat, known as The Reapers. Bioware has also promised to shed more light on the origin of The Reapers themselves through this downloadable expansion. Don’t sweat if you want to see more and you missed the launch trailer for the DLC that we posted a few days back. We’ve got you covered. You can add Leviathan to your Xbox 360 download queue by following this link.
If you’re a late bloomer on the Mass Effect bandwagon, Mass Effect 3 represents the epic conclusion to the story of series protagonist Commander Sheaperd, and his fight to save all life in the galaxy. An ancient race of machines known as The Reapers have emerged from dark space, intending to wipe the galaxy clean of all organic life. You’re choices along the way will ultimately determine the fate of all life. Representing one of the most successful and most talked about games of the year, Mass Effect 3 is still making waves throughout the gaming industry seven months after release. To find out what we thought of the game, be sure to check out our review.
August 28th, mark it on your calenders. It’s the date that the first single player DLC since From Ashes (that adds new content), releases for Mass Effect 3. Leviathan DLC contains a good variety of things to do but the main pull, aside from it being new content, is the inclusion of some insight into the origin of the Reapers.
It will come in at 800MSP and will hopefully deliver a good mix of story and gameplay.
There are some great new deals and releases coming out for the Kinect. To start off we have the Mass Effect 3: Firefight Pack for 160 points. Which is bringing some multiplayer weapons over to single player. We also have some great deals headed our way. First off we have Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 11 Course Pack, it will be 40 percent off which will bring the price down to 1920 points and will have 11 of the courses for the game. But deal seekers out there take note, this sale will end after tomorrow. Also on sale we have Carnival Games: MSMD – Coasterama Pack which will be 160 points after its 50 percent off discount. The pack will add three new roller coasters to the game. This deal will start August 14 and go until the 20th. Links for all the content can be found below.
What we are playing is a weekly column published every Sunday in which various members of our team let the world know which games have had them hooked over the past week and which ones they’re looking forward to.
Ryan Reynolds- I went on a shooting spree this week. In videogame form of course. I played a whole lot of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beta on PC. I can’t wait to pick the game up on 360 and finally take my place atop the Counter-Strike community, with a controller! I also played a fair share of Modern Warfare 3, Mass Effect 3 and Halo: Reach as well. My hype for Halo 4 is really beginning to build. Furthermore, I downloaded and played the trials of Deadlight and Outland on Xbox Live Arcade, but neither really grabbed me, so I didn’t purchase either.
Nick DePetris- I sort of videogamed myself out after my intense Deus Ex marathon last weekend, but I did play a couple hours of Fallout: New Vegas and fired up The Witcher 2 for the first time. I also finally beat Dance Central 2 on easy. 5 stars on every song, which is impressive if you’ve ever seen me try to dance.
Sean Prideaux- I played Planet Crashers and Deadlight early on in the week; both of which are reasonably entertaining. Then I played a little of both Rage and Darksiders. I’m trying to get Darksiders finished on apocalyptic before 2 comes out, though I’m not likely to pick it up anytime soon.
Ryan Fennel- An XBLA focused week for me. I completed Deadlight and have mixed feelings regarding it. While it was definitely enjoyable, the second act of the game was way too much trail and error for my tastes. I also put in some time with Wreckateer. I think Wreckateer will go down as the best Kinect game of 2012 — others just don’t compete with the precise controls in this game.
Andy Tran- I’m on vacation, but still managed to get some gaming squeezed in. I’ve gotten my strategy craving quenched from Age of Empires Online. And then a little more Zombie Driver courtesy of Steam’s cloud saves moving from my desktop to laptop.
Scott Waldyn- This week was an adventure into something unique and different. I jumped into Deepak Chopra’s ‘Leela‘. It’s a lovely little new age stoner trek into self-fulfillment and a calming connection to the universe. I enjoy it. It’s a great way to center a stressful day.
Now that you know what we’re playing, let us know what you are playing! Tell us by leaving a comment below!
Bioware has formally announced Mass Effect 3: Leviathan, the first single-player downloadable content for their acclaimed role-playing game. Leviathan once again places us in the shoes of Commander Sheapard as he and his crew try to locate a being said to be powerful enough to kill a Reaper. Bioware promises that the DLC will explain more about the origins of the Reapers themselves, as well as give players access to new corners of space, new parts of the Citadel and new weapons. Leviathan is expected to hit the Xbox Live Marketplace before the summer is over, launching at an 800 Microsoft Point price point. For the more immediate future, Bioware announced that the Firefight Weapons Pack will launch on August 7th, giving players a total of seven new weapons in exchange for 160 Microsoft Points. Read on for the first screenshots of both downloadable content packages.
Sporting a highly controversial ending to the the epic struggle between organic life and synthetics, Mass Effect 3 has been one of the most talked about games of 2012. In response to fan feedback over the ending, Bioware released Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut earlier this summer, a free batch of downloadable content which expands upon the game’s conclusion. To find out what our own Andy Tran thought of the game, check out our review here.
What we are playing is a weekly column published every Sunday in which various members of our team let the world know which games have had them hooked over the past week and which ones they’re looking forward to.
Nick DePetris- After getting a new videocard I was actually able to play some of the games I bought during the Steam Summer Sale, so I fired up Deus Ex: Human Revolution and played through that. I also played through Wreckateer for our review, and I have to say it’s a must-buy for anyone with a Kinect.
Andy Tran- I’ve gotten back into Skyrim after seeing some YouTube episodes of “Best of Skyrim mods” and had a little fun with a new game. Then Battlefield 3 took up my time with unlocking the new weapons with the assignments on the close quarters expansion. Let’s just say I’m a big fan of the SCAR-L.
Ryan Fennel- I finally jumped back into my Vita after a rather long hiatus. The only demos I tried out were Foosball 2012 & Puddle. Both games were rather meh. On the Xbox 360 side, I tried out the new dashboard and played little bits of Battlefield 3 and Wreckateer. Hopefully, the weekend allows for a lot more quality time with Wreckateer. I’m excited to try it out some more!
Scott Waldyn- I went on a little video game vacation this week, so I barreled through Mass Effect 3 with my first character (my others will be completed within a few months). I also picked up Wreckateer, which I am thoroughly enjoying. On top of that, I tried that NASA Mars Rover game for Kinect Fun Labs. That’s also a blast. A bit twitchy and tense too.
Ryan Reynolds- More and more Mass Effect 3 multiplayer for me. I’m in one of those summer lulls where I don’t really have anything to play, and don’t have the drive to play anything other than what my friends are playing. I am looking forward to Deadlight and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive however, which both hit XBLA in the next 30 days.
Sean Prideaux- I have been playing Wreckateer and Mini Ninjas Adventures over the past few days and I finally started to clear my back-log as well. I’ve only touched small things so far (like the Blackwell games) but I’m glad to have played some Kinect for the first time in a long while.
Now that you know what we are playing, we want to know what you are playing! Tell us by leaving a commend below.
What we are playing is a weekly column published every Sunday. Various members of the team let the world know which games have had them hooked over the past week and which they’re looking forward to.
Nick DePetris- The Steam Sale is still going on and I’ve been playing a ton of PC games, including Sam & Max, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, and The Binding of Isaac. On the Xbox side of things I finished off the ilomilo DLC, played some Saints Row 2, and got a bit a of a workout with Your Shape 2012 and Dance Central 2.
Ryan Reynolds- More and more Mass Effect 3 multiplayer for me. It’s entertaining enough for me to keep playing it, even if I’m playing it mainly just to talk to a friend over Live. When you start to get older and your friends are scattered across the country, Xbox Live is a great tool to connect people together.
Ryan Fennel- I continued to rank up in Battlefield 3. I cannot believe that this game didn’t capture me when it initially released. Outside of Battlefield 3, I had a game night with a bunch of friends where we played Kinect Sports until about 4 am. We spent a lot of time talking about Wreckateer being released this week. I cannot wait until Wednesday!
Andy Tran- The Steam Summer Sale is coming to an end and I couldn’t thank them more. It introduced me to the fun of some new games I’ve wanted to try, but couldn’t bring myself to go over my monthly gaming budget. Dear Esther is quite the trip and Zombie Driver is just plain fun. And I got Arma 2 to play the Day Z mod which is complete fun with a friend – I highly recommend it.
Sean Prideaux- I picked up a few things in the steam sale but not played much of any yet. Also played through Dungeon Fighter Live, Beyond Good and Evil HD and a little Men at War. I also upgraded my Xbox to an S model as the old one sounded like a jet engine and used too much power. Unfortunately I lost data while transferring the 50GB of data between the old one and the 3 USB sticks I had, over to the new Xbox. Nothing too important but still annoying.
Scott Waldyn- I finally got my grubby mitts on Mass Effect 3. I’m still very early on in the game as I hadn’t had much time this weekend, but I can say that I’m more than ready to bring this trilogy to a close. James T. Shepard is going to do what he can to take Earth back.
You can keep up to date on all Xbox Kinect and Xbox Kinect Fans content by getting our updates via Twitter and Facebook. Just click on the relevant icon below.
