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Batman: Arkham City multiplayer confirmed and new screenshots released

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New look Harley with Batman

Batman: Arkham City will feature multiplayer gameplay, at least that’s according to  appropriately named Batman: Arkham City fan site Arkham City.

The news comes as screenshots  of Batman: Arkham City have appeared online through Flickr.

A news post on Arkham City says that multiplayer is confirmed by Batman: Arkham City developers Rocksteady in a feature from this month PSM3 Magazine. The developers claim “Multiplayer is a certainty, but no details on this yet” with no further details about how this would actually fit into Batman: Arkham City.

Rumours have been circulating ever since Batman: Arkham City was announced, that Catwoman would feature as a temporary ally of The Dark Knight in co-operative gameplay. Or perhaps players will be able to experience Batman: Arkham City as Robin or Nightwing in a co-op mode.

On the other hand, could the multiplayer element of Batman: Arkham City be the competitive player vs player experience that some gamers would rather not see included?

With Batman: Arkham City – the sequel to the highly successful Batman: Arkham Asylum – not scheduled for release until autumn 2011, it’s likely we’ll be waiting for quite some time before solid details appear.

Batman: Arkham City will be available in PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

So Train2Game students, how do you feel about a Batman: Arkham City multiplayer mode? Would you welcome co-operative or competitive online play? Or do you think Batman: Arkham City should stick to the format of Batman: Arkham Asylum and leave multiplayer gameplay alone?

You can leave your thoughts about Batman: Arkham City multiplayer here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Starcraft II sells over three million in a month

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Starcraft IIStarcraft II: Wings of Liberty has sold over three million copies worldwide in just its first month on release according to publisher Activision Blizzard.

The long anticipated Starcraft II was released simultaneously worldwide on July 27th with many eager Starcraft fans attending midnight launches in order to be among the first to get their hands on the RTS sequel.

Starcraft II was a massive success, with 1.5 million copies Blizzard’s title being sold in the first 48 hours of release, making Starcraft II the fastest selling strategy game of all time.

Naturally, Starcraft II had no trouble topping the UK Charts in its first week on release, an impressive achievement given that downloaded copies of Wings of Liberty weren’t counted in the chart at the time.

These strong sales have given Starcraft II the momentum required to push past the three million copies sold mark, further cementing Wings of Liberty’s position as the most successful PC game of 2010 so far. With three million copies sold, it seems unlikely that anything will be removing Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty from its position of most successful PC game of the year.

Activision Blizzard will no doubt be well on the way to recouping the supposed $100 million Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty cost to produce.

Naturally, CEO of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Morhaime is pleased with the success of Starcraft II.

“We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II.”

“It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”

With Starcraft II being divided into three instalments, it’s likely that Activision Blizzard will have more success with the franchise in future. However, there’s no word yet on when the second part of Starcraft II will be released.

So Train2Game, have you picked up a copy of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty in the month it’s been on sale? If so, is it really that amazing?  How much are you looking forward to the next instalment of the Starcraft II franchise? And will anything else released this year topple Starcraft II from its position of most successful PC game of 2010?

You can leave your thoughts on Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, or the Starcraft franchise in general, here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Major Nelson reveals new Xbox 360 controller

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New Xbox 360 controllerMicrosoft has revealed a new Xbox 360 controller in a video hosted by Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb on the Xbox Youtube channel.

While furiously waving the new Xbox 360 controller around, Major Nelson explains:

“The engineers have come up with an ingenious solution with a d-pad that can go from a plus to a disc with the twist of the wrist.”

“In addition to the new d-pad, the matte silver controller also features concave analogue sticks and grey A,B,X,Y buttons for added style.”

“The controller will only be available with the new Play & Charge Kit that will launch on November 9th for US $64.99.”

The d-pad can be raised by twisting it 90 degrees, and will be much appreciated by fans of fighting games such as Street Fighter IV, where precision is the key to success.  Have Microsoft developed the new Xbox 360 controller specifically for fans of a specific genre?

The new Xbox 360 pad has also seen the control buttons toned down to a grey colour rather than the red, green, blue and yellow that we’re all used to.

The new Xbox 360 controller will be available in the United States from November 9th at a cost of $64.99. Unfortunately Xbox 360 owners in Europe won’t be able to get their hands on the new Xbox 360 controller until February next year. Expect Microsoft to reveal the price of the new Xbox 360 controller on this side of the Atlantic nearer the time.

You can watch Major Nelson explain everything you need to know about the new Xbox 360 controller in the video below.

So Train2Game students, what’s your opinion on the new Xbox 360 controller? Is it the radical overhaul that Microsoft claims it is or is it too similar to the regular Xbox 360 controller to your liking? Will you be buying a new Xbox 360 control pad?

You can leave your thoughts about the new Xbox 360 control pad here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Microsoft announce Xbox Live price increase

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Microsoft has confirmed that subscription prices for Xbox Live will be going up from November 1st.  The price increase for Xbox Live was confirmed by Major Nelson in a blog titled Price change for Xbox LIVE Gold subscription

The good news (sort of) for UK Xbox Live subscribers is that the price will only be increasing if you pay for your Xbox Live membership on a monthly basis. Does anyone actually pay for Xbox Live every month?

From November 1st, Xbox Live members who buy pay buy their Xbox Live Gold subscriptions monthly will see the price increase from £4.99 a month to £5.99 a month. That’s a whole £1 people. Does anyone actually pay for their Xbox Live membership on a monthly basis?

The good news for every other Xbox Live subscriber in the UK is that Xbox Live membership costs for 3 month Live subscriptions and yearly subscriptions won’t be changing and remain unchanged.

If you’re an Xbox Live subscriber in the United States, you’ll see the biggest price rises with monthly Xbox Live subscription costs rising from $7.99 to $9.99, Three month Xbox Live Gold membership fees rising from $19.99 to $24.99, while the yearly cost for Xbox Live Gold membership goes up from $49.99 to $59.99.

The increase in Xbox Live  Gold membership fees is the first price increase since Xbox Live was introduced onto the original Xbox all the way back in 2002.

So Train2Game students, how do you feel about the increase in price of a subscription to Xbox Live? If you’re paying a monthly fee, will this encourage you to pay for a yearly membership? Or do you think this is a money making ploy by Microsoft?

Could it push you towards the free PlayStation Network?

Leave your thoughts about the increase in Xbox Live subscription costs here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

UK Charts: Mafia II is the boss.

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Mafia II is the don of the UK charts as it takes down its competitors to clinch top spot in its first week on sale. Mafia II has taken first place despite the mobster title from 2K Czech receiving somewhat mixed reviews. 52% of Mafia II sales have been on the Xbox 360, 41% of Mafia II sales are for the PS3, while just 7% of Mafia II sales are on PC.

Mafia II’s rise to the top has bumped Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days from its previous position as the top dog.  Meanwhile, Toy Story 3 and Red Dead Redemption are still selling strongly, despite having dropped one place each to third and fourth respectively.

Wii Sports Resort jumps from sixteenth up to fifth place, out manoeuvring Ubisoft’s Just Dance which has fallen one place to sixth. Super Mario Galaxy still remains in seventh while the magic appears to be fading for Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 which has dropped down to eight in the UK charts.

Surprisingly, Sniper: Ghost Warrior has re-entered the top ten in ninth place securing its highest chart position in the process. The final entry in this weeks top ten is Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands which drops two positions from eighth to tenth.

Elsewhere in the charts, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 shows that Activision’s shooter still has some life in it jumping from 18th to 12th. Could Modern Warfare 2 re-enter the top ten once again next week?

EA’s Madden NFL 11 drops down to 34th in its third week in the charts, while Super Mario Galaxy, Grand Theft Auto IV, Crackdown 2, Blur and Halo 3 have all re-entered the Top 40.

The full top ten for the week ending 28th August 2010 is as follows:

1. Mafia II (2K Games)
2. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (Square Enix)
3. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
4. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar)
5. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
6. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
8. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 (Warner)
9. Sniper: Ghost Warrior (City Interactive)
10. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sand (Ubisoft)

So Train2Game students, do you believe Mafia II deserves to be the Don? Or should it be Kane & Lynch 2 that is the top dog? Why is Sniper: Ghost Warrior back in the top ten? And will Modern Warfare 2 make yet another comeback next week?

As usual, leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Bioware release extended Dragon Age 2 trailer

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Bioware have released an extended version of the Dragon Age 2 reveal trailer first revealed at GamesCom. The new Dragon Age 2 ‘Directors Cut’ trailer gives us an extra 42 seconds of CG based Dragon Age goodness.

The video features Dragon Age 2 protagonist Hawke in a one on one battle with what appears to be a demon, with some very big horns. The swordplay and magic show that the hero of Dragon Age two has more than a few tricks up his sleeve when battling the dark forces.

Interestingly, the narration in the video appears to come from Flemeth. Dragon Age: Origins veterans will know Flemeth has a powerful witch of the wilds.

Is it possible Flemeth will have a role in Dragon Age 2?

Dragon Age 2 will be released in the UK on March 11th 2011, as revealed during EA’s GamesCom press conference last week.

While the Dragon Age 2 trailer looks very impressive, it’s highly unlikely that the actual game footage. However, the Dragon Age: Origins trailer at last years E3 didn’t feature in-game footage, but Dragon Age still proved to be a very impressive role playing game. Good news for fans of the series is that it isn’t over yet, with Bioware revealing more DLC for Dragon Age: Origins in the form of Witch Hunt.

But back to Dragon Age 2, you can watch the extended trailer below.

So, Train2Game what do you think of that? Are you looking forward to Dragon Age 2 being released on March 11th? And how effective do you think the Dragon Age 2 trailer is?

You can leave your thoughts about Dragon Age 2 here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Bioware reveal Dragon Age ‘Witch Hunt’ DLC

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Bioware have revealed yet more DLC for their highly successful RPG Dragon Age: Origins, a game the Train2Game blog has  heavily praised in previous articles – and deservingly so!

The new downloadable content is called Dragon Age: Witch Hunt, but be warned, if you haven’t finished Dragon Age: Origins this news will reveal massive spoilers about the end of Bioware’s epic role playing game. You have been warned, read on and Dragon Age: Origins will be spoiled for you.

Dragon Age: Witch Hunt takes place a year after the events of the Dragon Age: Origins finally in which the Archdemon was slain and the Darkspawn threat has been vanquished.

One question remains: what happened to Morrigan?

If you’ve finished Dragon Age: Origins (and if you haven’t, you should really have stopped reading by now) you’ll be aware that no matter which one of the multiple story choices you made towards the end of the game, Morrigan leaves straight after the battle with the Archdemon.

Morrigan’s whereabouts have been unknown, but with reports that she has returned to Ferelden you’ll have the opportunity to tie up one of the biggest loose ends from Dragon Age: Origins. The official Dragon Age Witch Hunt site says “But whether you seek answers, revenge, or reconciliation with your lost love, you may find more than you bargained for.”

Will The Warden have the choice to slay Morrigan? Well, yes probably, seeing that many of your companions can be killed by your own hand in the many, many different available plots in the Dragon Age: Origins story.

Dragon Age Witch Hunt is available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as downloadable content from September 7th.

So Train2Game, if you played Dragon Age: Origins, are you keen to play this conclusion? Or are you just waiting for Dragon Age 2 now? And do you think all this downloadable content from Bioware is a positive or negative thing?

Leave your thoughts about Dragon Age here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source –  Dragon Age: Origins offical website]

More Portal 2 video goodness introducing Faith Plates and Repulsion Gel

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Keeping up with the recent Portal 2 theme, here are a couple of Portal 2 gameplay videos that introduce two new features in the game – The Faith Plate and Repulsion Gel. Both look like they’ll make Portal 2 even more fiendish and even more fun. Or perhaps only one of these depending on what you believe…

The first Portal 2video from Aperture Science (not from Valve, honest) shows the Aerial Faith Plate’s of Portal 2 in action. What is an Aerial Faith Plate, will text in the first of the two Portal 2 videos explains:

“Aerial Faith Plates are part of a larger trust experiment designed to help the Enrichment Centre discover whether the capacity for trust is effected by being catapulted into space”

Sounds pretty standard there doesn’t it? The Portal 2 Faith Plate Gameplay video shows the player using them to get behind a turret before using the Portal gun to fling that nasty gun to its doom. Meanwhile, the second Portal 2 gameplay video demonstrates the Repulsion Gel, with the text explaining:

“Aperture’s second attempt at a dietetic pudding substitute resulted in Repulsion Gel, a much sweeter, slightly less non-toxic form of fibreglass insulation that caused subsequently ingested food items to bounce off the lining of the dieters stomach and out of his or her mouth”

“For various reasons this was also pulled from the shelves”

The Portal 2 Repulsion Gel gameplay video looks very fun indeed, with the player using the Portal gun to manipulate the gel in order to crush some turrets. Of course, they also use it to bounce around to solve one of Portal 2’s many puzzles.

Both the Portal 2 Faith Plate and Repulsion Gel videos – originally shown at GamesCom – are below


So Train2Game, what do you think of these new addictions to Portal 2? Will they overcomplicate the game?

Leave your thoughts on Portal 2 here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Updated Portal 2 trailer starring Stephen Merchant as Wheatley

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Portal 2Valve have released an updated trailer for their upcoming first person puzzler sequel Portal 2, and this time it stars Stephen Merchant as your robot pal Wheatley. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Stephen Merchant co-wrote and starred in The Office and Extras with Ricky Gervais. (Ricky Gervais isn’t in Portal 2, but has played himself at the comedy club in Grand Theft Auto IV)

The updated Portal 2 trailer demonstrates Stephen Merchant’s new Wheatley with it’s previous wit and dry humour, except this time with a slight West Country accent. Valve, being their usual cunning selves, previously said that Portal 2’s Wheatley was being voiced by ‘some guy from the office’ Can you see what they did there? Valve you clever wordsmiths.

The updated Portal 2 trailer also displays some of the new rendering effects in the game takes a closer look at Aperture Science. Portal 2 definitely looks a lot prettier than its predecessor! You can watch the updated Portal 2 trailer with Stephen Merchant below, but be aware it does contain spoilers for those who’ve not yet played the original Portal.


Portal 2 is scheduled for release on February 9th 2011.

The updated Portal 2 trailer could also make interesting viewing for Train2Game students (So long as you don’t want spoilers from Portal revealed!) who want to add voice work into their games in future. How important do you think choosing the right actor is? Do you think Stephen Merchant fits Portal 2’s character of Wheatley?

And of course, how much are you looking forward to Portal 2? Have any Train2Game students not played the original?

You can leave your thoughts on Portal 2 and in-game voice work here or on the Train2Game forum.

Brink will ‘end the genre as we know it’ say developers

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Bethesda Softworks and Splash Damage have released a third developer diary about their upcoming first person shooter Brink. (You can watch a previous Brink developer diary over at Gabe’s Train2Game blog.) This latest Brink developer diary is titled ‘Brink: The end of the genre as we know it’ in which the developers discuss Brink’s ‘unique meld of single and multiplayer modes’ which form the basis of the game.

This third Brink developer diary begins with Creative Director Richard Ham telling us that the squad based shooter bridges the gap between single player and multiplayer games. Brink Game Director Paul Wedgewood echoes this theme by adding “We’re finally blurring the lines between offline gaming and online gaming” Splash Damage certainly want to let gamers know that this is the unique feature of Brink!

The Brink developers are very keen to push through that the game doesn’t have a pre-set path, with the player being able to choose their own story whether they are playing online or offline. Completing team based objectives in both modes will earn Brink players experience points which they can spend on customising their character with their own unique selection of clothes, weapons and other accessories.

Brink does look very impressive and it’ll be very interesting to see if the amalgamation of the single player and multiplayer experiences work when Brink is released in Spring next year.


Train2Game students can watch ‘Brink: The end of the genre as we know it’ below.

So Train2Game, do you think the idea behind Brink is a clever one? Or do you believe it might fall flat in reality? Are you looking forward to Brink? And do you think you could combine single player and multiplayer experiences into one whole game?

You can leave your thoughts on Brink here, or on the Train2Game forum.