Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s Zombies: Gets New Trailer & All-Star Cast

It’s no secret that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is getting zombies. Rumors regarding the undead’s return started a few days before Advanced Warfare’s release, when someone with an early copy of the game leaked zombie footage online. A couple of days later, GameStop confirmed that zombies would be part of Advanced Warfare’s DLC content. More recently, Activision released a trailer officially spotlighting the game’s new “Exo Zombies.”

That first trailer made it look like Advanced Warfare’s zombie mode would have some kind of narrative – it ends with a cutscene in which Captain Gideon gets yanked out of a helicopter by an exosuit-enhanced zombie – but it was unclear whether this was just a one-off tease or a hint at something more in-depth.

Well, if the newest teaser is any indication, Exo Zombies doesn’t just have a story; from the looks of things, it’s a bona fide Hollywood blockbuster. Exo Zombie’s cast includes two-time Academy Award nominee John Malkovich, Bill Paxton, Rose McGowan, and – of course – The Walking Dead alumnus Jon Bernthal.

That’s a lot of star power, and it looks like Sledgehammer’s trying to give Exo Zombies a plot that’s as impressive as its cast. The expansion is set in a world where Advanced Warfare big-bad ATLAS dropped a bomb to end a war; instead of stopping hostilities, however, things went incredibly wrong. Now, four “untrained and unprepared” ATLAS employees must fight off the undead hoards. Like the trailer says, “No warning. No back up. No one left… but us.”

Previous reports said that Exo Zombies would have co-op multiplayer and would be split into four episodes. That’s implicitly confirmed here, as Activision says that “the first chapter of Exo Zombies is included with the Havoc DLC”; presumably, later chapters will be included in Advanced Warfare’s other DLC packs.

Gamers who want the entire Exo Zombies campaign can buy each DLC pack separately, or they can purchase the Advanced Warfare Season Pass for $50 ($10 cheaper than buying the packs individually). The Havoc DLC comes out in January for the Xbox One, and later for other platforms.

The trailer’s suitably epic and fairly creepy, and in terms of storytelling the expansion looks to meet the high standards set by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare‘s star-studded main campaign. At the very least, Exo Zombies’ story should be a lot more fun, given the pulpy sci-fi setting and (assumed) absence of ham-fisted sentimentality. Gamers still haven’t gotten to see too much of Exo Zombies’ gameplay, but with the first chapter only a month away, it’s likely more footage will be released soon.

And come on, it’s zombies wearing super-suits. What else do you really need to know?

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The Havoc DLC and Exo Zombies will release for Xbox One in January, 2015.

TAGS: Activision, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, PC, PS3, PS4, Sledgehammer Games, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s Zombies: Gets New Trailer & All-Star Cast

SSX is free to download on Xbox 360 via Games with Gold

SSX is now free to download on Xbox 360 for Xbox Live Gold subscribers thanks to Microsoft’s Games with Gold promotion.

From now until December 31, Xbox Live Gold members can download the normally $19.99 game for free. SSX replaces The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief as the free game on Xbox 360. While Xbox One owners can still pick up Worms Battlegrounds for free until December 31.

Once downloaded, these games can be kept forever on Xbox 360, even if you’re Xbox Live Gold subscription expires. However, on Xbox One an active Gold membership is required to retain access.

SSX is free to download on Xbox 360 via Games with Gold

Leaked Windows 10 build reveals new Xbox app

A leaked consumer build of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10 operating system has leaked online that contains a new Xbox app for PC.

The app offers access to achievements, friends lists, activity feeds, messaging, and the Store, according to a report from The Verge. The app opens with a note that labels it as an early preview: ”We’re still working on it, but we couldn’t wait to give you a sneak peek,” reads a note that pops up on the app. “We update regularly, so keep checking back to see what’s changed.”

Last week, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed that Microsoft would “talk about gaming on Windows” at an event at the company’s Redmond campus on January 21. It’s expect that we’ll get the first look at the Xbox One’s new Windows 10 UI during this event.

You can read more about the leaked build’s features over on The Verge.

Source: The Verge

Leaked Windows 10 build reveals new Xbox app

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny $29.99 from Microsoft Store tomorrow, $19 doorbuster

For tomorrow only, the Microsoft Store is offering a heck of a deal on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Destiny on either the Xbox One or Xbox 360.

Starting at 8AM Eastern on December 13th, both games will be on sale for $29.99 at either your local Microsoft Store, or through the online shop. Even better, if you’re one of the first 50 people to buy either game at one of the retail outlets, you’ll get an even better price: $19.99.

And now, for some reason, you can watch a very British woman scolding us yanks for our holiday screw-ups, and telling us what to buy. Didn’t we start our own country to get away from such situations?

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny $29.99 from Microsoft Store tomorrow, $19 doorbuster

Borderlands Remastered Edition appears on Australian Ratings Board

A listing for something called “Borderlands Remastered Edition” has appeared on the Australian Ratings Board’s website.

The listing states that it is a multi-platform title in development at Gearbox and 2K Australia. Now I don’t know about you, but the first thing I think of when I see the words Borderlands and Remastered is a re-release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

All three Borderlands titles (Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel) are currently available on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. The main question is, if this is a PS4 and Xbox One re-release, then will it be just the original Borderlands or all three titles?

Via: Player Attack

Borderlands Remastered Edition appears on Australian Ratings Board

‘Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell’ Trailer Gets Musical

The Saints Row franchise has come a long way from its beginnings as a Grand Theft Auto knock-off — and a new musical trailer shows the lengths that the upcoming Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell goes to embrace the eccentric sense of humor that has come to define the series.

The near five-minute trailer sees Satan, his daughter and player characters Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington belting out a tongue-in-cheek musical number. With the game’s title riffing on Meat Loaf’s seminal ‘Bat Out of Hell’ album, it’s perhaps not so strange that Gat Out of Hell would be advertised like this — although, at this point, it seems that anything goes for the Saints Row series.

After Saints Row: The Third amped the games comedic tendencies up to eleven, Saints Row IV continued on that course. As well as being the boss of the Third Street Saints gang, the protagonist becomes President of the United States very early in the game — as well as being given superhuman abilities like a storey-spanning jump.

Saints Row IV will gain the subtitle Re-Elected when it is re-released for current-gen systems in a physical bundle that also contains Gat Out of Hell. However, the downloadable edition for current-gen and last-gen consoles won’t require a copy of Saints Row IV to be playable — so if you want to skip your term as President and head straight for the netherworld, you’re very welcome to.

Gat Out of Hell promises to be quite the substantial experience on top of Saints Row IV, with the new setting of New Hades replacing the familiar streets of Steelport. There are also all-new abilities to look forward to, like the apt ‘Angelic Flight’ upgrade that allows characters to sprout a pair of wings and fly around Hell.

At this point, Saints Row likely either has you or it doesn’t; its focus on zany comedy in recent years has turned off some fans who enjoyed the more grounded tone of the original game, but it’s difficult to argue that the wacky hijinks of the Saints hasn’t given the series its own particular flair.

Based on this trailer, if you found the previous games funny then Gat Out of Hell will likely not disappoint, taking the erratic and self-referential comedy of the Saints Row series to new heights — or perhaps depths, given the game’s setting.

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell is set to release on January 20, 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.

TAGS: High Voltage, PC, PS3, PS4, Saints Row, Volition, Xbox 360, Xbox One

‘Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell’ Trailer Gets Musical

Gearbox Software talks about working with Telltale in new Tales from the Borderlands video

In a new behind-the-scenes video, several members on Gearbox’s Borderlands team discuss how their collaboration with Telltale came about and what to expect from Tales from the Borderlands now that the game’s universe is in Telltale’s hands.

The video features new footage from the game alongside interviews with franchise director Matt Armstrong, writer Anthony Burch, producer James Lopez, and Gearbox CEO and president Randy Pitchford.

Tales from the Borderlands will span five individual episodes, as is typical of Telltale, with the first episode set to debut November 25 on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, iOS, OS X, and PS Vita.

Gearbox Software talks about working with Telltale in new Tales from the Borderlands video

‘Far Cry 4′ First Impressions: It’s Just Like ‘Far Cry 3′

Lock and load, gamers. There’s a psychopath running things in Kyrat and it’s time to go insane and kill everyone associated with him. If you loved the beautiful open-world vistas of Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 and the fun-focused, action-packed gameplay it offered, then you’ll totally dig Far Cry 4.

Coming a quick two years after the release of Far Cry 3, the fourth core franchise installment puts players in the boots of Ajay Ghale as he visits his native homeland of the fictional Himalayan region of Kyrat to spread his mother’s ashes. From there, it takes just a few seconds before meeting the game’s antagonist, the dictator Pagan Min.

After putting about 10 hours into Far Cry 4 and testing it on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, we can happily say that the game runs silky smooth and is surprisingly polished (outside of a few instances of the sound dropping) given the complex nature of open-world titles – especially given the performance issues Ubisoft’s other flagship release, Assassin’s Creed Unity, has endured since release.

The environments are large, gorgeous, full of life and… death. As you’ll learn very quickly from the opening and first few story missions of Far Cry 4, Ajay’s parents were leaders of a rebel movement dubbed “The Golden Path” against Pagan Min. These are your allies in Far Cry 4 and just like the game’s predecessor, drive different colored trucks and wear different colored clothing than the red-clothed enemies. According to notes I read in the game, wearing the colors of The Golden Path will get you shot.

The similarities don’t even begin to stop there. Every facet of the game so far is nearly identical to Far Cry 3, from the tower-climbing, outpost-liberating geographic progression and crafting systems, to the gunplay, hunting, use of syringes and camera-enemy-tagging. It feels like I’m playing Far Cry 3 from the beginning again, learning the same skills and hunting similar animals as I fight the same enemies in the same outposts but in a different environment.

There’s a tad more polish and a few more details to the fundamental game mechanics, such as throwing flesh to serve as bait for predators who can distract and attack enemies (a feature first introduced in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon). New this time around, players can also kick boxes and explosive barrels, shoot while driving and flying, grapple hook up and down predefined climbing spots, and yes, ride elephants. It’s surface level stuff but it does flesh out the gameplay a little bit and builds on the successful formula.

Liberating outposts to reclaim enemy territory is still the highlight of the game, and this time around, Ubisoft built the co-op into the open-world game. Now, other players can join you exploring the world, helping out on outposts and taking on the larger and more dangerous fortresses (which the game recommends to play cooperatively). Each time you complete an outpost, a few little side quests open up that ask players to rescue hostages, escort or locate supplies, or assassinate bad guys, etc.

The strategy remains the same. Suppressed weapons and the bow and arrow are your best friends. Throwing rocks to lure enemies or throwing meat to call in predators to attack and distract. Crouching and moving slowly through bushes and tall grass -and burning or blowing stuff up – has never looked so good in Far Cry which makes it an easy recommendation for fans.

Be warned though, where Far Cry 3 really put the theme of insanity on the forefront, and offered legitimate motivational factors to what you’re doing (escaping, drugs and rescuing friends), Far Cry 4 – at least, so far – doesn’t deliver when it comes to Ajay Ghale. Far Cry 3 even worked in the progress to a tattoo which marked your character but its successor abandons that. Without that needed context, without actually seeing your character and who he was/is, or his relationship to his parents, most of the interactions with other characters may fly over your head, or at the very least, aren’t very meaningful. Hopefully, that picks up later in the game.

That being said, the core gameplay is there and the shooter aspects are amazing. The little details of seemingly moving, traversing obstacles, swimming, diving, hopping into vehicles, laying traps, shooting over cover, violently taking down enemies up close and chaining kills together is all wonderful. Far Cry 4 is nailing it on the combat and traversal mechanics.

Our own Hannah Shaw-Williams is much deeper into the game so stay tuned for her full review.

Far Cry 4 is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.

TAGS: Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4, PC, PS3, PS4, Ubisoft, Xbox 360, Xbox One

‘Far Cry 4′ First Impressions: It’s Just Like ‘Far Cry 3′

GTA Online transfers issues on Xbox now resolved, too

Player problems migrating GTA Online accounts from Xbox 360 to Xbox One have been repaired as of this morning, Rockstar Games confirmed on their Support page.

Users first reported these issues yesterday, shortly after Grand Theft Auto V’s midnight launch for its new PS4 and Xbox One versions. Apparently, users who hadn’t longed in since 2013 were met with a message that read “No previous Grand Theft Auto Online data is associated with your Social Club account.” Rockstar remedied this matter on the PlayStation side of things that same day, and promised to do the same for Xbox by this morning.

Promise delivered, it seems.

The PS4 and Xbox One versions of GTAV, in addition to be better looking and all that, also add a first-person mode to experience the game in a whole new way. A PC version with the same perks is slated to launch early next year, on January 27.

Source: Rockstar Games

GTA Online transfers issues on Xbox now resolved, too

GTA Online transfer issues resolved for PS4 and PS3, Xbox fix expected tomorrow

GTA Online transfer issues with the just-released next-gen versions of Grand Theft Auto V are resolved on the PlayStation side, and will be remedied on Xbox “tomorrow,” Rockstar announced.

“We are currently addressing this issue with a patch for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 users,” reads the support page update. “This patch is available for download, but may not be available in your region for the next few hours. If you attempt to download the patch and see a ‘CE-32937-4’ error, please attempt to download the patch again later today. This issue will be addressed for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users by tomorrow.”

And according to a third update, PS4 should be all greenlights and go signs. “All character migrations are now working on PlayStation 4, and affected PlayStation 3 users can play GTA Online as normal.”

Perhaps 343 Industries ought to contract someone from Rockstar to help get The Master Chief Collection running on a more expedient timeline than nearly two weeks past launch.

Source: Rockstar

GTA Online transfer issues resolved for PS4 and PS3, Xbox fix expected tomorrow

Xbox One Nearly At 10 Million Units Sold

10 million is a large number. It’s so large that most people usually don’t think about it unless it’s a dollar amount or a massive number of things sold after a certain amount of time. Imagine what 10 million things would even look like when placed next to one another; that’d probably be a waste of time to set up and a very poor use for that space, but try to imagine anyway.

Microsoft is close to reaching that 10 million amount themselves, but this time with the Xbox One. The system launched last year shortly after the PlayStation 4, and has since released in over 20 markets, including North America, the UK, and Japan. After the removal of the Kinect camera, a couple of price drops, and a handful of new bundles, the Xbox One is now on the rise to reach the same milestone its competitor did three months ago.

Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Devices and Studios, revealed on Xbox Wire that the uptick in sales “has been amazing,” and that sales have since tripled when compared to last week. Most notably, however, is that Mehdi also teased the fact that Xbox One has finally overtaken the PS4, saying:

“As we head into the busy holiday season Xbox One led generation 8 console sales in the US for the past two weeks.  Shortly, we will have sold in to retailers more than 10 million Xbox One consoles.”

While “sold into retailers” isn’t the same as selling through to consumers (Microsoft’s sales numbers incorporate the number shipped to stores), it’s still impressive to see the Xbox One gaining ground in its first year, especially considering it didn’t have the smoothest of launches.

As said before, the temporary price drop (which will probably become the “new low price”), as well as the introduction of new bundles that include games like Sunset Overdrive, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Assassin’s Creed Unity, have greatly helped the system reach new people. The launch of the Xbox-exclusive Halo: The Master Chief Collection probably helped as well, launch problems aside.

Microsoft has certainly worked hard to get the Xbox One to where it is today, as the monthly system updates should show. And regardless of if Xbox One is behind PS4 or not, the fact remains that both systems have done incredibly well. Heading into the holidays, and 2015 (when the new games really start showing up), sales numbers will only continue to increase.

Source: Xbox Wire

Xbox One Nearly At 10 Million Units Sold

Baseballs and Dragon Balls abound in this week’s Deals with Gold

This week’s Deals with Gold include R.B.I. Baseball 14 on both Xbox One and Xbox 360, a pair of Dragon Ball Z games on 360, and more.

On Xbox One, R.B.I. Baseball 14 is joined by Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut and Zombie Driver Ultimate Edition, both 50 percent off, plus the Forza Motorsport 5 Car Pass add-on at 25 percent off.

Meanwhile, over in Xbox 360 land, both Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z and Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi are 50 percent off. And in addition to those and the Xbox 360 version of R.B.I. Baseball, there’s also Need for Speed: Most Wanted at 50 percent off, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit at 75 percent off, Need for Speed: Undercover at 66 percent off, Burnout Paradise and Burnout Revenge both 66 percent off, Dirt 3 at 60 percent off, and Darksiders for 50 percent off.

All of these discounts come to a close next week, on October 27, with the exception of Darksiders, which for some reason will remain available at half-price until the end of October. As usual, these deals only apply to Xbox Live Gold members.

Source: Major Nelson blog

Baseballs and Dragon Balls abound in this week’s Deals with Gold