News: Gaming News Roundup - FIFA 13 Arrives Edition

FIFA 13 kicks off

The waiting is finally over as EA Sport’s FIFA 13 sprints its way from the development tunnel onto the global sales pitch today.

FIFA Soccer 13 launched on Tuesday Stateside and today for the rest of the soccer loving world. In the US alone the title netted 353 000 sales on the first day of availability, which is a year-on-year sales increase of 42% for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

FIFA 13 also proved to be quite popular amongst iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users, as the mobile edition of the game marked the biggest global launch-day performance of any iOS title in EA’s history, going straight to the number one position for Top Paid Games in 55 countries. If you’re still on the sidelines, wondering if you should buy the game, check out the trailer posted below for an overview all the new features.

Time to rAge

It’s that time of year again when local gamers (including us) get a bit giddy, since the really Awesome game expo (rAge) is hitting the Coca-Cola Dome next weekend. Apart from a finger-licking selection of hardware and games on sale, rAge 2012 also includes the tenth annual NAG LAN featuring a massive 2 540 gamers hooked up to one network. Tickets to the LAN sold out under an hour (testament to the popularity of this event), but there should be no such problems for the exhibition itself.

It’s on from the 5th to the 7th of October, with a day ticket setting you back R60 and a weekend pass going for R100. For more info visit the rAge website. This year there is also a shuttle bus service between the Sandton Gautrain station and the Dome with a return ticket costing R 50.

We’ve been regular attendees since the first rAge, and if you’ve not been yet, you’re seriously missing out.

Epic racing action awaits over the horizon

Racing game fans do not only have the release of Need For Speed Most Wanted to look forward to, as Microsoft, PlayGround Games, and Turn 10 will be releasing their own open-world racing game, entitled Forza Horizon. This game will make its way onto the gaming release highway next month for the Xbox 360.

The Forza Horizon Season Pass will provide players with free access to the game’s first expansion pack that becomes available on 18 December. This DLC will include six game car packs (each offering six cars for a grand total of 36 vehicles). The Season Pass will be available for purchase as of 23 October on Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 4 000 Microsoft points.

For more info about the game and soundtrack, watch the Forza Horizon behind the scenes video posted below.

A blurring of the lines between history and fiction

Ubisoft is transporting gamers to a new setting within Assassin ’s Creed III (AC3), which is taking place on the battlegrounds of the American Revolution during 1775. Players will step into the Native American boots of a new assassin named Connor, which translates to new weapons the likes of tomahawks, as well as a bow and arrows becoming available.

AC3 launches at the end of next month on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as for Windows PC in November. If you want to see how the real world historical themes of the game will link up with its fictional storyline, view the newly released Boston Tea Party trailer posted below, which details the event’s historical significance and what role it plays in this highly anticipated title.

Bad Piggies squeal onto mobile

As hinted, teased, and promised, the spinoff to the Angry Birds franchise, Bad Piggies, has finally found its way to the iOS and Android app stores.

What becomes quickly apparent is Rovio, has taken the very popular Angry Birds franchise in a wholly different direction. This time, the protagonists are the pigs, who end up stranded on an island. In order to progress, players have to build, and then activate, custom designed and increasingly whacky vehicles to propel the pigs to the end of the stage.

Having played a little of the game preliminarily, it looks like Bad Piggies is going to offer up the same offbeat sense of humour as Angry Birds (when failing to secure three stars, we could swear the pigs taunt us), a fair share of mind-bending puzzles and almost as accessible gameplay as the Angry Birds.

BioWare announces Mass Effect 3 Trilogy

For the first time, the first entry in the Mass Effect franchise will be available on the PS3, as part of a package that will include all three titles. The Mass Effect Trilogy Compilation, will be launched for the Xbox 360 and PC in November, with the PS3 version coming at an as yet unspecified ‘later date”, according to EA.

Additionally, BioWare further announced that it will hold the first annual N7 Day on the 7th of November, which is being billed as “a worldwide celebration of the Mass Effect franchise” Updates and announcements of several in-game, online and live events will be announced here.

In yet more Mass Effect related news, EA teased that the company has something special planned for those who play the female version of the protagonist (dubbed FemShep) when asked about her absence on the trilogy’s cover art.

New DLC announced for Super Mario Bros 2

The first piece of downloadable content has been announced for the frenetically good New Super Mario Bros 2.

The DLC consists of three packs - Go! Go! Gold Mario, which brings new courses and 30 000 coins; Survival Panic pack, which is apparently a hard-core, increased difficult mode, and Challenge the Record, which will challenge players to earn bragging rights by having their names posted on the game’s website.

The DLC has only been announced for Japan as yet, so local release date is still pending. Nonetheless, for those other players who are finding it a challenge to tear themselves away from the convenience offered by the 3DS XL, it looks the task only became that much more Herculean.

Silent Hill set for the small screen

Good news if you own a PlayStation Vita and are a fan of the survival horror Silent Hill series – a free playable demo for Silent Hill: Book of Memories is due for release tomorrow on the PlayStation Network. It’s the first Silent Hill title for Sony’s handheld, and the demo provides a taster from the first two zones of the single-player campaign plus a battle against the Fire Boss.

According to Konami, Book of Memories is a bit of a departure for the series, focusing a lot on co-operative multiplayer, since players can explore different Otherworlds together, also helping solve puzzles to progress.

Too see how Silent Hill translates to the smaller screen, check out the trailer below:

Total War: Rome II trailer released

We had an excellent time with Total War : Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai, so it’s with great anticipation that we’re waiting for the next in the series from developers Creative Assembly.

Total War: Rome II takes us back to the Republic first explored in 2004’s original, this time it’s the year 146 BC and despite a three year long siege, the city of Carthage has still not surrendered to Rome. It’s up to tactician Scipio Aemilianus to bring an end to this stain on the Empire’s name.

Total War: Rome II is only due for release in 2013, but at least the first game trailers have been released, so if you’re a fan of strategy games, have a look below.

Gaming News Roundup - FIFA 13 Arrives Edition

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