Dishonored add-ons creeping up

If you, like us, have been getting your mind blown by Dishonored, then good news awaits -three add-on packs are in the pipeline.

Dishonored: Dunwall City Trials, being released in December, will include ten challenge maps that will test and track combat, stealth and mobility skills. Included are ten distinct trials including an arena battle against waves of enemy AI, a gravity-defying run of drop assassinations, and a race against the clock.

Daud, the leader of a group of supernatural assassins known as ‘The Whalers’, will be the focus of the second add-on pack, scheduled for release in early Autumn 2013. New locales in Dunwall will be available, with Daud’s own set of weapons, powers and gadgets to look forward too.

Bethesda has not revealed info about the third pack, but did mention that PC, PS3 and Xbox360 should receive the add-ons at the same time.

 

SimCity disaster awaits

SimCity fans mark this day in your diary: 8 March 2013. That is EA’s official release date of the game for PC and Mac. Having first seen the light of day in 1989, SimCity is one of the longest running video game franchises, and if you’ve seen any of the trailers, you know that the latest one looks a treat. This is in no small part due to the new simulation engine called GlassBox, and to see it in action (and also to pick up some tips on city management) check out the “How to Deal with Disasters” public service announcement below.

 

BioShock puzzle game announced

If waiting for the third installment of the BioShock series is getting on your nerves, you’ll be happy to hear about temporary fix that might even earn you some in-game rewards. BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution is a free puzzle game in which you take on the role of a factory worker in the sky-city of Columbia. It comes with a catch though – you need to preorder your BioShock Infinite copy first (Steam supported).

But what about the rewards we hear you say? This from the Industrial Revolution FAQ page.

Facebook pack that pledges your allegiance for either the Vox Populi or the Founders.

 

Still not satisfied? Check out The Beast of America trailer below to sus that craving.

 

Abyssal Forge DLC announced for Darksiders 2

Darksiders 2 is not exactly a small game, but, now, it is about to get even bigger, as the next piece of downloadable content (DLC) after Argul’s Tomb has been announced by Vigil Games.

According to the developers, the Abyssal Forge DLC will take players to the vast swamp-like Shadow Lands, and include two new dungeons, new enemies and of course, legendary loot to find.  

Vigil Games elaborated that the titular Abyssal Forge is “a living machine designed to harness the unfocused dark power of the Abyss and create the most powerful legendary weapons.” The Maker who built this abomination, known only as the Mad Smith, was shunned by his own people and sealed away in the Shadow Lands with his creation. However, the forge hasn’t remained dormant all those years of captivity; it has constructed a vast army and now threatens all creation (naturally).

The DLC will be made available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC versions, for 800 Microsoft points or $10 (R87) respectively at the end of this month.

More Dragon Age 3 details emerge

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition may only be launching next year, but recently, Bioware hinted at some aspects of the game that players can look forward to at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo in Canada.

Among the more tantalising is this one: apparently one level in Dragon Age 3 is as large as all the levels of Dragon Age 2, according to PCGamer. Additionally, players can also look forward to inhabiting their own castle, and broader customisation of their character and their followers.

The development team did confirm though, that players will take on a human avatar, and apparently, players will be able to import prior choices made by their character in previous games somehow.

To cap it off, Bioware then showed off some tasty concept art,shown below, just in case you weren’t longing to return to the Dragon Age world already.

 

 

Hitman: Absolution voice-talent list declassified

It has been a busy week for Japanese game publisher Square Enix. Besides unveiling the official game cover designs for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC versions of the highly anticipated new Tomb Raider reboot, the company also revealed the voice talent behind the upcoming Hitman: Absolution.

Reprising his role as the voice behind the deadly Agent 47 is South African born actor David Bateson. Providing Agent 47 with a physical in-game presence (motion capture performance) is William Mapother (Lost). Filling the shoes of head "nun" assassin LaSandra Dixon is Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill and Independence Day), while Marsha Thomason (Las Vegas and White Collar) breaths vocal life into Agent 47's former handler, Diana Burnwood. Gamers may also recognise the voice of the alluring Isabelle Fuhrman from The Hunger Games fame and the horror movie Orphan.

Check out the newly released ‘Introducing Disguises’ trailer for Hitman: Absolution posted below for more info about the game, in which the developers share some of the more unique outfits that can be found in this new installment.

 

Resident Evil 6 DLC update

The latest chapter in the Resident Evil franchise has already been written with the release of Resident Evil 6 (RE6, look out for our review next week). RE6 is not leaving anyone sitting on the fence, as both reviewers and players find themselves in one of two camps - they either think it is a worthy addition to the series or feel that RE6 is yet another nail in the gaming coffin of what used to be a definite inclusion on your games-to-get-list.   

This week Capcom announced that it is adding two enhancements to the previously revealed DLC for the game, based around player feedback. The first of these is some well needed camera adjustment improvements. During certain action sequences many players (including us) felt that the camera tends to pull in too tight leaving you exposed to zombies closing in from your blind side. Capcom is aiming to address this via a new, wider camera that provides a broader view of the action.

If you like the current camera system, don't fret as both new enhancements will be optional downloads only. The final improvement patch is less significant, enabling gamers to have English as their audio language and opt for another language for the game's subtitles.
 

F1 goes karting

Tired of the ultra-realistic racing games when you’re only in it for a good time with friends? F1 Race Stars should sort you out. It brings a kart-like approach to F1 racing and is in production at Codemasters Racing Studios, the same guys responsible for the official F1 racing games. On offer is an extensive career-mode and championships, as well as four player split-screen racing, which can be combined online for 12 player multiplayer gaming.

See Kimi, Lewis, Sebastian and Fernando lapping it up in the trailer below.