Aliens: Colonial Marines Extermination edition announced for UK

United Kingdom-based video game retailer GAME is currently stocking an exclusive special version of Gearbox’s upcoming first-person shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines for Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3. Extermination edition, as it is called, will include several pieces of bonus content for those who pre-order the game, including multiplayer characters, weapons, weapon upgrades, and several items used for player customization. Playable characters available with the Extermination edition include Gunnery Sergeant Apone, Corporal Hicks, and Privates Hudson and Drake from the film Aliens, on which the story of Colonial Marines is based. Other bonuses include two weapons, a flamethrower and a sawed-off double barrel shotgun, additional items that can be used to customize the appearance of the player’s Marine, and a ‘Gear Upgrade Boost’, which will give players early access to high-end equipment and upgrades for their weapons. It is currently unknown whether or not this edition of the game will see release elsewhere in the world, or if this content will become available for download at a later date.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be released worldwide on February 12th, 2013 for Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and later for Wii U, as well as for OnLive cloud computing services.

[Source: Game]

SEGA and The Creative Assembly Partner with Games Workshop to Create Warhammer Games

SEGA’s developer The Creative Assembly has teamed up with Games Workshop to develop video games based on the popular series Warhammer. The Warhammer series features fantasy settings and themes such as orcs, elves, goblins, and so on in a dark and gritty manner, noted as being similar to The Lord of the Rings mixed with Early Modern Germany. The Creative Assembly is mostly known for its tactical and strategy series Total War, in addition to action games featuring large-scale battles, such as in 2008’s Viking: Battle for Asgard.

An entirely new team within The Creative Assembly has been tasked to create multiple games based on Warhammer, which will not delay the progress of Total War, mobile, or action-console games currently being developed by The Creative Assembly.

For a press release, click here.

Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers, and Sonic the Fighters now available on XBLA and PSN

The first three games in SEGA’s collection of Model 2 arcade games is available now on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The three games available now are:

• Virtua Fighter 2
• Fighting Vipers
• Sonic the Fighters

Each game is developed by the iconic AM2 studio and as these titles imply, they are all in the fighting game genre. All games are hardware-perfect ports of the originals, but all include features spanning new secret characters, the ability to select updated or downgraded arcade releases, and of course online play. Unlike their original announcements, each game is priced at $5 USD (400 Microsoft Points on XBLA).

The games will also become available on the European PSN on December 5th, while Virtual-On and Virtua Striker, which are also part of this collection, will be released early next year.

Included after the break is the trailer for all of the released and upcoming games in the Model 2 collection.

Space Harrier to receive 3D update on Nintendo 3DS, Space Harrier Collection out now on Japanese PSN

Japanese video game news website Gamer has revealed that the arcade classic third-person action/shooter Space Harrier will be receiving an updated port on Nintendo’s 3DS titled 3D Space Harrier, which will be optimized for the handheld’s dual widescreen displays and will feature newly added stereoscopic 3D graphics. Developed by AM2 under the direction of legendary game designer Yu Suzuki, Space Harrier has long been held as one of the greatest and most recognizable arcade games of all of time, revolutionizing the medium as a both a technical benchmark for games at the time and defined a genre with its fun and riveting gameplay, which still attracts scores of fans to this very day. Reports say that this port is intended to be the definitive version of the game, and whilst no further details have yet been revealed, the title is expected to launch on the Nintendo eShop at some point in the near future.

In other Space Harrier news, Space Harrier II: Space Harrier Complete Collection has been released on PlayStation 3 on the Japanese PlayStation Network. This compilation — which was originally released on the PlayStation 2 as part of the SEGA AGES 2500 series — brings the arcade versions of Space Harrier and Space Harrier 3-D [not to be confused with 3D Space Harrier] (both for the Mark III system) and the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Space Harrier II together, also featuring some bonus content and extras, including official art from all of the games. There’s been no word as of yet whether or not Space Harrier II: Space Harrier Complete Collection will be released outside of Japan, but it is currently available for the price of ¥800 (roughly $10 USD).

[Source: Gamer]

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed out now

Sumo Digital’s latest arcade racing title, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, is now available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and Wii U in North America and Europe. The sequel to 2010’s Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Transformed brings a myriad of new changes and additions to the series, with the most notable feature being the dynamic transformations of the game’s vehicles, which allows them seamlessly race on land, sea, and air. Transformed also assembles an all-star cast of characters from across SEGA’s long history, with several newcomers entering the fray, including Joe Musashi from Shinobi and Vyse from Skies of Arcadia. In addition, two guest characters from non-SEGA properties make an appearance on the game’s playable roster, those being auto racer Danica Patrick of NASCAR fame and the character Ralph from the 2012 Walt Disney film Wreck-It Ralph, which features several cameos of SEGA characters including Sonic the Hedgehog and the zombies from The House of the Dead.

Those who pre-ordered the game will receive a special ‘Bonus Edition’ of the title, which includes an extra course modeled after SEGA’s hit arcade driving game OutRun, as well as Metal Sonic from Sonic CD as a playable character. In addition to its release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Transformed will also be released for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita on December 7th in Europe and on December 11th in North America. Versions for Microsoft Windows and iOS are also planned, but currently do not have release dates.

Be sure to check out the game’s launch trailer after the break.

Jet Set Radio available for PlayStation Vita this week, mobile versions late November

The high definition upgraded version of Jet Set Radio will finally be available for PlayStation Vita users this week for download on the PlayStation Network. It was previously released this fall on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Steam for Windows PC.

Originally launched in 2000 on the SEGA Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio was praised for it’s unique take on the platforming genre, along with it’s graphical style and soundtrack, most of which is included in this version. Modern alterations, such as new camera controls and achievements/trophies have been added, the Vita release includes even more functions, such as optional touch-based spraying.

In addition, Android and iOS versions of the game will be released at the end of month. Jet Set Radio is available on all platforms for $10 USD, the title is set to be the first free game on PlayStation Vita for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed demo now available on Xbox LIVE, coming soon to PSN

A demo for the upcoming Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace for free in all regions the service exists. PlayStation 3 will also receive this, but once the network is updated, which is independent by region. It is currently unknown if any other platforms will also receive a demo version of the game, as SEGA has not announced any as of yet.

The demo features only Sonic as a playable racer, but has tracks based on the classic Panzer Dragoon and Golden Axe titles, the later of which is not a race, but a ‘boost challenge’. Both levels use the unique transforming mechanic where the player’s car turns into a boat or a plane when necessary.

A sequel to Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is available to purchase on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this week for most Europeans, but will be available for North Americans next week. The Nintendo Wii U version will launch with the console the week after and the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions will be available in December. The PC version has no release date at the posting of this article, but is expected in 2012.

Anarchy Reigns “Day One” edition announced for Europe

It was revealed through the Official SEGA Blog today that Platinum Games’s upcoming online beat ’em up Anarchy Reigns will be getting the special edition treatment in Europe with the “Day One” edition DLC for the game, which will feature two new multiplayer game modes and an extra playable character — the witch Bayonetta, the titular heroine of the 2010 action game Bayonetta, also developed by Platinum Games.

Bayonetta fights in her own trademark style, wielding four guns (two of which are on her feet) and uses a variety of unique attacks from the game. It should be noted, however, that Bayonetta holds no actual advantages over any other playable character in the game, and thus players concerned with balance issues can put their fears to rest. The two new multiplayer game modes in the “Day One” edition are called Mad Survival and Dogfight. Mad Survival is a different take on the game’s own Survival mode, in which a team of three must defend themselves against multiple waves of enemies of varying strength — the difference in Mad Survival being that the enemies faced here are other playable characters from Anarchy Reigns, who will put up a much more difficult fight than the standard roster of enemies. The other new mode, Dogfight, is major departure from the game’s other modes in that it sees players hanging from moving helicopters as they attempt to shoot opponents out of the sky. Both of these modes will take place in the game’s already existing multiplayer maps, with the later mode allowing players to explore the additional verticality of these environments.

“Day One” edition is currently exclusive to Europe, but SEGA soon plans to reveal how these bonuses can be obtained in other territories. It can be pre-ordered from both online and physical retailers for £ 19.99 / € 29.99 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, while the game itself will be released in Europe on January 13th, 2013.

[Source: Official SEGA Blog]

ToeJam & Earl 1 and 2 available on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network

ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron have both been released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 online stores. Both games, originally available on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive in the early 1990s now have new content and features such as online co-op added by M2, who created the high quality ports of titles like Monster World IV and The Revenge of Shinobi earlier this year.

The first in the series is especially unique as a top down rougue-like where players can split up to explore pre-made or randomized environments either by oneself or co-operatively with a friend. The sequel is a side-scrolling platformer that focuses more on character interactions, but is still based around collecting and optional, but recommended two player gameplay.

On PlayStation Network each title is sold individually for 5 USD. On Xbox Live Arcade both games are sold together in a bundle with the name SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl and costs 800 Microsoft Points, or rather 10 USD.

Vanquish available for purchase on PlayStation Network

Today Sony added Vanquish, SEGA and PlatinumGames’ 2010 action shooting game to their North American PlayStation Store on PlayStation Network. This allows one to purchase the full PlayStation 3 title and directly download it to keep on their HDD. A retail release, the game was also added to Microsoft’s Games on Demand service on Xbox Live in May of last year (originally $40 USD, it has dropped in price to half that since), although unlike that version, the extra optional downloadable content is included in the PlayStation Network purchase.

At the price of $19.99 USD, shooter fans will be hard pressed to find a better deal for this unique game bundled with all of its extra content. Be sure to read our review to help make your purchase.