There’s been talk about this for a while now, but at long last, the free-to-play option for the massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has gone live. This means that the game is free to download, with the ability to play all eight Star Wars classes up to level 50 for mahala. So no more $15 per month subscription fee, which should put a bit of life back into this MMORPG, which have seen its user base dwindle.

 

According to Cnet, there are restrictions when playing for free, since you can only enter flashpoints, warzones, and other special encounters for a limited number of times during a week. A monthly allowance of cartel coins, the new in-game currency, will also be served up to subscribers, with which to buy customisable items. Free users would of course be able to buy these coins with real currency.

 

To see if Star Wars free-to-play is a force to be reckoned with, check out the preview here:

 

 

 

Dishonored (review here) must be one of this year’s top 5 titles, and certainly one of the best new IP around. So if you, like us, have been stealthily disposing of foes, you’ll give two thumbs up to Besthesda’s Killer Moves trailer, featuring fan submitted power combos, kill moves and, well, general slaughtering. One thing about this trailer – there will be blood.

 

 

 

EA has been doing well in trickling tantalising tidbits of info regarding Crysis 3, recently revealing what extras you’ll be grabbing if you pre-order the Hunter Edition. Now we have a new gameplay video for Crysis 3, taken from the latest single player demo "The Fields". It shows the action underneath the Nanodome where you and your foul-mouthed cockney team mate, Psycho, must meet up with the rebel insurgency.

 

Players will only be able to don the famous Nanosuit Crysis 3 come February 2013, when Crysis 3 gets released.

 

 

 

Collectors, take note: Square Enix has revealed its Tomb Raider Collectors and Survival edition, and both look like they are stuffed with goodies.

 

The European version of the Collectors edition (and the most likely to be available here) will consist of an 8” Lara Croft figurine, Art of Tomb Raider book, double sided map and poster, the soundtrack of the game, a weapon pack downloadable content, a survival pouch and of course, the game, all contained in a survival tin.

 

The cheaper Survival Edition will include all of the above with the exception of the survival tin and figurine. Unfortunately, local prices for both editions have not been confirmed as yet, which is something we expect to change as the March release date creeps closer.   

 

   

 

If a Nintendo 3DS XL is on your Xmas shopping list, you’re in luck, since two special editions are heading to South African shelves.

 

The White console (R2700) is first to land today, offering a maybe not-so-special white casing, but at least with Mario Kart 7 pre-installed. A limited edition Nintendo 3DS XL in Yellow, featuring Pikachu on the cover, should appease Pokémon fans, retailing for R2350 and in store from the 7th of December.

Just a note – neither come with AC adapters, so keep a bit of bucks set aside, unless you still have the power adapter of your old Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL or Nintendo 3DS.

 

One of the more humorous gaming reviews to emerge this week came in the form of talkshow host and comedian Conan O’Brien’s take on Hitman: Absolution.

 

O’ Brien, who openly confesses he is not a gamer in his Clueless Gamer skit, nonetheless managed to drum up some very witty observations of the game and of gameplay in general.

 

On the subject of hiding eliminated targets, O’ Brien remarks how ‘neat’ his character is. The distinctively gangster-looking foes get compared to the cast of Grease, while Agent 47’s signature barcode is also in O’Brien’s crosshairs for ridicule. Overall, O’ Brien entertains as he showcases a few of the games’ missions, and inadvertently made us all the keener to play the game.

 

To find out what the funnyman’s final verdict of the game is, or for a good laugh to end off the week, take a look at the video below.

 

 

 

Yet more details have been released about Ninja Theory’s upcoming reboot of Devil May Cry, including a demo release date, special difficulty modes, Vergil’s own DLC and a new trailer entitled Home Truths.

 

Capcom announced that the Devil May Cry demo for the Xbox 360 and PS3 will be released on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network respectively on the 21st of November. The demo will apparently include two missions and a boss battle.

 

To whet our appetite, the company then went and released a new trailer of Dante in action, entitled Home Truths. While the action depicted apparently takes place early in the game, it may contain mild spoilers, so consider yourself warned.

 

 

Also revealed  was that, along with the standard difficulty modes (Human, Devil Hunter and Nephilim), players who want an even more challenging experience will further be able to choose from a further four options.

 

Son of Sparda will offer tougher enemies and enemy behaviour, while Dante Must Die will add the strongest enemies in the game, and “insane” attack waves to the mix. Heaven and Hell will implement a remixed enemy layouts and one-hit rule, in which Dante and enemies can be killed with a single hit, while in Hell and Hell only Dante is at the mercy of the one hit rule.

 

The company further announced that Dante’s brother Vergil will also be playable in the game, as players will be able to dip into dedicated DLC named Vergil’s Downfall for around $10 or 720 Microsoft points. The good news is that though they may be twins, Vergil will use different weapons and combos as compared to his sibling, which should mix gameplay up very nicely. For a sneak peak of what to expect, feast on the video below.