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Diablo III Expansion Confirmed

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Yes, it is official a Diablo III expansion is in progress. Mike Morhaime of Blizzard Entertainment confirmed the expansion during an earnings call.diablo3logo

The details are limited at this time and we don’t have any hints towards how much progress has been made on the new expansion, but knowing Blizzard’s reputation for releasing games when they are “ready”, it’s probably safe to say it’s going to be a little while. Opinion of Diablo III is split down the middle as many fans were disappointed in some aspects of the game. The lack of an offline gameplay mode was disappointing  for long time Diablo fans who didn’t want to have to deal with server issues just to play the game by themselves.

The controversial real money auction house (RMAH), has some gamers claiming that is takes away one of the major incentives to keep playing the game, finding loot. Diablo III has seen some improvement through the release of patch 1.0.5, but something still feels likes it’s missing. I think that Blizzard should move their focus away from some of the previously mentioned features and really fine-tune the gameplay experience itself. Hopefully we will see this next expansion reinvigorate Diablo with not only new lands and lore to explore but adding or removing, some key features.

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Regardless of how you feel about Diablo III, Activision has stated that the game is the #1 bestselling game in dollars and units on the PC in the U.S. and Europe since it’s launch. I had a feeling the game would sell well considering how many players still love Diablo II and it’s expansion, Lord of Destruction. The real question is whether or not those same people who originally bought the game will continue to stick with Diablo and purchase the new expansion.

As always we will keep you informed on the latest details surrounding the D3 expansion.

Halo 4 A Game Rich In Story

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The next chapter in the Halo universe is finally here and it’s just as good as we have expected, and more. Mankind’s greatest hero makes a return in this latest installment of the Halo franchise. Halo 4 is set about 5 years after the events of “Halo 3″. Master Chief and Cortana are back together and discover that an ancient evil is threatening to destroy all of mankind.

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We always expect the usual things from a big title like Halo, better graphics, better gameplay, new multiplayer maps and other various features, but the one thing that makes Halo so powerful is it’s story. I grew up playing many different types of games and 3D shooters were always fun to play.

I grew up in the pioneer days of 3D gaming and I spent many hours playing classic titles like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Quake, and many others. Each game had something a little different to offer over the years. The gaming systems that we used to play our favorite games on became more advanced and the games themselves started to look better, but one game in particular stood out.

 

I had just purchased a new Xbox and I remember being slightly less than optimistic about playing a new Microsoft shooter. I honestly wasn’t expecting Halo to be that good, I admit that now, it just didn’t look too impressive to me from what I had seen. I set everything up and popped in the disc, my journey into the Halo universe had begun.

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From the very start my opinion of the game had changed. Story telling in shooter style games had always seemed more of an afterthought but not with Halo. The story was right there, in your face, and with each cutscene you became more and more emotionally invested in your mission to save the world. The artificial intelligence in Halo was on a level that I hadn’t seen before, the way each foe reacted to my movements forced me to come up with a solid strategy, I was loving every minute of it. Now, fully immersed in this strange but awesome new world I played the game for hours. I actually beat the game in one sitting and it was early morning the next day when the credits had finally hit the screen. This was one of my favorite gaming experiences and I continued to enjoy Halo with friends in multiplayer almost every day during that summer.

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Halo 4 continues to deliver on all aspects of gameplay including a compelling story that’s built in a massive universe in which many stories can be told. 343 Industries has maintained the quality level that we expect from our Halo games.

 

Halo 4 is available in two editions, Standard Edition for $59.99 and Limited Edition for $99.99.

 

 

Xbox SmartGlass Now Available for iOS

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XboxSmartGlass LogoXbox SmartGlass creates a richer, more immersive experience for Xbox owners. This is definitely one of the best things that Microsoft has released for Xbox and now it’s available for iOS devices.

With Xbox SmartGlass you can use your phone, tablet, Windows 8/RT tablets, and PCs to control your Xbox. Basically, you will be able to use any of these devices as a remote control with the added benefit of being able to use gestures to navigate and control your Xbox. Extra content will appear on the device of your choice for games, TV shows,  and movies. You can imagine Xbox SmartGlass as a second screen that you can use to add another layer of content to anything you do on Xbox, this is the same direction Nintendo went with when designing the Wii U.

Some of the cool uses for Xbox SmartGlass include displaying extra content like commentary, map UI for games, and interactive strategy guides that integrate perfectly with your TV experience.

 

Get Xbox SmartGlass:

Windows

Windows Phone

Android

iOS

 

Playstation 4 Not Too Far Away

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Yes, it’s time to start looking ahead already as the Playstation 3 is starting to feel it’s age. The rumors have already started to roll in and we can discuss of few of them right here.ps3Controller

The latest buzz surrounding the Playstation 4 suggests that the new gaming console will still continue to support optical media and will do so in the form of Blu-Ray.

Even though there will still be a disc drive, rumors suggest that each game you buy will be tied to your Playstation Network account and you will be unable to play them offline. Gamers will also supposedly be able to purchase and download any game directly from the Playstation Network.

A source reports that the new Playstation 4 will also support 4K resolution and will be packing an AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU in order to provide solid frame rates at the new massively large 4K.  The codename for the PS4 project is “Orbis”.

Sony may also be planning on keeping backwards compatibility out of the new PS4, which is something that isn’t new for Sony fans. Going by the ten year rule, the Playstation 4 should be making it’s debut in about three years.

As we continue to hear more about the PS4 we will keep you in the loop. Just remember most of this is rumor and subject to change over the months to come.

Angry Birds Star Wars Gameplay

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R2-D2 and C-3PO make an appearance in the latest gameplay trailer for Angry Birds Star Wars. These two famous robots look a little different, as you would expect they look like funny little egg shaped and uncoordinated Angry Birds characters.

Peter Vesterbacka, the Mighty Eagle and CMO of Rovio had a little bit to say about the game,

“This is the best Angry Birds game we’ve ever done. It’s the best parts of Angry Birds with all new cutting-edge gameplay set in in a galaxy far, far away,” said  “As a big Star Wars fan myself, I’m really excited about this new universe. The Force is definitely strong with this one.”

As always, there is already a ton of  Angry Birds Star Wars merchandise available including action figures and plush toys. The game will launch worldwide on November 8th and the game will be available on iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, Mac, PC, Windows Phone and Windows 8.

Here is the exclusive gameplay trailer!