Videogames

Capcom confirms that Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen will be released on April 23, 2013 in North America. The rehash of the publisher's 2012 open world RPG introduces a number of updates to the game, both to address issues players had with the original release and to add some enhancements that make your return to Gransys worthwhile.

Dark Arisen adds a large new underground realm to the game, with 25 new enemies to encounter there as well as an assortment of new missions. Other new features include the addition of level 3 skills, more than 100 pieces of new high-level equipment, more character/Pawn augments, added equipment enhancement options, and more.

There's more too. Those who already own the original Dragon's Dogma will receive 100,000 Rift Crystals (used to create fast travel markers), unlimited Ferrystones (used to travel to those markers), and the Gransys armor pack. New content will also integrate directly with your old Dragon's Dogma save. Dark Arisen comes to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a $39.99 physical and digital release this April.

After a decade of bringing you brutally honest reviews, interviews with gaming's brightest luminaries, and wanton displays of intern abuse, X-Play's time is coming to an end.

Tonight at 6/5c, we'll bid farewell with an hour-long show full of favorite moments from over the years, new comedy and surprise guests.

Plus, we'll auction off for charity three amazing items: a seven-foot Skyrim statue and cast-and-crew-signed Limited Edition Halo 4 Xbox 360 and final show script.

So gather around the X-Play fire one final time for old tales, new jokes, and a send-off for the ages. Tonight at 6/5c.

The Legend of Zelda was one of the last topics covered during this morning's Nintendo Direct video stream, with company president Satoru Iwata confirming a pair of planned releases for the Wii U console. First up is an enhanced remake of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, boasting improved visuals, console-specific controls, and re-tuned gameplay.

The bigger news, of course, is word that a new Legend of Zelda title is in development for Wii U. Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma couldn't show off any content -- presumably because it's not ready for public consumption at this time -- but he did offer a few tidbits. 

Aonuma revealed that the big directive on this project is to "rethink the conventions for Zelda," specifically the fact that dungeons are tackled in a specific order and the fact that the games are all solo endeavors (Four Swords aside). Are you ready for a non-linear, co-op Zelda game, kids?

The only thing you need to know going into this trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's Revolution trailer is that it features Peter Stormare and a wood chipper. If the reference doesn't make sense to you, then clearly you need to see Fargo. Go on. We'll all wait.

The trailer is pretty light on gameplay, instead going for funny with the serious, thickly accented Stormare presenting himself as the Replacer, someone who can take over your life while you devote your time to Call of Duty. The birthing scene is the best. Who WOULDN'T want Peter Stormare by there side on such a memorable occasion?

The Revolution DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 comes to Xbox 360 next week on January 29, 2013, with other platforms to follow at an unspecified future date.

BioShock Infinite hits stores on March 26, 2013, but you'll be able to spend some time in Columbia a bit earlier than that thanks to the just-announced prequel novella, BioShock Infinite: Mind in Revolt. The e-book-only release heads to the Amazon Kindle store on February 12, 2013 for $2.99, though it also comes free with Amazon pre-orders of the game.

“Since we first announced BioShock Infinite, our fans have asked for more information about Columbia and the complex cast of characters that inhabit the floating city,” writer Joe Fielder said in a prepared statement. “After reading the e-book, players will have a better understanding of BioShock Infinite’s world, the struggle between its factions, and the motivations of key characters, like rebel leader Daisy Fitzroy, without spoiling the mysteries of BioShock Infinite.”

Sounds cool. Have you locked in a pre-order yet? Will this development get you there?

As review playthroughs begin for Visceral Games' Dead Space 3, word has emerged that the game continues publisher Electronic Arts' trend of building microtransaction opportunities into its releases. Dead Space 3 does so within the game's new weapon crafting system, with players able to enhance their designs either by seeking out scrap materials or by spending actual dollars, according to Eurogamer.

As associate producer Yara Khoury told the site, "You can buy resources with real money, but scavenger bots can also give you the currency that you can use on the marketplace. So you don't have to spend [real world] dollars." There's no word on how much this content will cost, though the news has left some -- such as Destructoid's Jim Sterling -- with a sour taste. Will you pony up real money on top of your $60 purchase for an easier time in the game?

Borderlands 2 just put on a few pounds last week with the release of the Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt DLC, but Gearbox Software has some more content to offer in the form of three new customization packs for all platforms. Each themed pack adds a new head and a new character skin to the game for each class. For the math illiterate out there, that means five new full-body skins per pack, and 15 overall.

The three packs are: Domination, Madness, and Supremacy. You can see the Madness pack in the image up top. Each pack is priced individually at $0.99 (80 MS Points). Unfortunately, there's no package deal here for buying all three. What's more, Season Pass owners: you'll have to buy this content separately if you want the new skins.

Microsoft confirms that Gears of War: Judgment will come packaged with a Games On Demand download code for the original Gears of War game. All copies of the game will include a download code, except for those sold in Germany due to the fact that the original game was never released there due to ratings restrictions.

A new trailer that accompanies the news -- The Guts of Gears -- breaks down the game's various changes to the series formula, including its tweaked campaign progression, randomized enemy spawns, and added weapons. You'll have an opportunity to pass sentence on Gears of War: Judgment when it hits stores on March 19, 2013.

Blizzard Entertainment will at last unleash the Heart of the Swarm expansion for StarCraft 2 on March 12, 2013, and the developer has released the expansion pack's intro video to get you in the mood (via All Games Beta). The video sets the stage for the expansion's added story content, with players watching events unfold from the perspective of Sarah Kerrigan.

Geek alert: if you listen really carefully to the intro vid, you'll hear a slightly truncated Wilhelm scream.

In addition to expanding on the story, Heart of the Swarm also bulks up StarCraft 2's multiplayer potential with seven new units injected into the carefully balanced proceedings. Some of the older units will be updated as well. The release isn't all that far away anymore, so watch the video and start planning your strategies.

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our five favorite games this week: 

GAME OF THE WEEK
JOE DANGER TOUCH
iOS ($2.99)

When we heard Joe Danger was getting an iOS port, it was a pretty exciting moment for us. After all, we’d played it on our consoles, and it seemed like a great port. We were right, as Joe Danger Touch has been crafted specifically for a touchscreen experience, and it’s done perfectly. You follow the ubiquitous Joe Danger as he performs daring feats of bravado on his bike, which is a lot tougher than it might seem at first. 

There are 50 levels in Joe Danger, but you’ll be playing through most of them more than once to pick up the coveted “Pro” medal for each. To grab it, you’ll need to run the level perfectly, and that often takes memorizing a certain section or pulling off a tricky maneuver. The controls are perfectly balanced, and it’s a lot of fun popping wheelies, ducking, flying over shark tanks, and racing opponents.

A healthy and robust challenge system is also in place, once again adding replay value to just about every part of Joe Danger Touch. Unlocking new costumes, challenging friends to beat your high scores, and pushing through the last 10-15 levels or so are incredibly satisfying moments in the game, making Joe Danger Touch a must-buy if you’re on iOS.

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Rockstar Games revealed last week that Max Payne 3 would be getting its final DLC pack on January 22 -- that's tomorrow -- and now the studio has a rundown of what's there. The Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC is all about multiplayer, with three new adversarial modes to choose from and the addition of cooperative option in the form of a wave-based survival mode called Dead Men Walking.

On the competitive multiplayer end of the spectrum, your three new modes are Run & Stun, Marked Man, and Time Attack. Marked Man and Time Attack offer variations on the game's Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch modes, respectively, but Run & Stun is an odd one. It's basically a variation on a zombies/infected mode, with one player starting as an overpowered goblin-thing named Saci, who is armed with a stun gun. As Saci takes opposing players out, they switch over to fight for his team.

Deathmatch Made in Heaven comes to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms on January 22, 2013 for $9.99 (800 MS Points).

Leisure Suit Larry is on the prowl once again, with Good Old Games now offering all five of his classic adventures as the Greatest Hits and Misses Collection, for $10. It's a killer deal on classic Sierra adventure gaming, with both the original version and VGA remake of the first game as well as the four PC exclusives that followed.

Don't confuse this wonderful collection with the equally wonderful HD remake that Replay Games is currently developing in collaboration with Adventure Mob. Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded is an HD remake headed to multiple platforms -- including Steam, thanks to a successful Greenlight bid -- with the initial release expected to happen sometime in early 2013. 

You can now throw handfuls of digitally transferred cash at PSN content available through the Sony Entertainment Network thanks to newly added support for PayPal (via NeoGAF). It seems that money can only be transferred to your Sony wallet via PayPal via the SEN website for the time being, though don't be surprised if the PlayStation Store follows suit in the near future.

Adding cash to your SEN wallet is a pretty simple process, though you'll need access to a web browser. Sign into PlayStation Store account, click the Manage Account link, then the Account tab at the top of the page. You can access you wallet at the left side of the screen from there. Once you opt to add funds to your wallet, the payment options prompt that follows will now include PayPal.

Simple. Some GAF users are reporting issues with transferring funds via PayPal, though this appears to be a temporary problem. Anyone out there have any luck?

Starbreeze Studios is working on a co-op sci-fi first-person shooter called Storm, according to an update on the developer's website (via All Games Beta). The text-light announcement doesn't offer much more info about Storm, including only a logo and a brief statement that suggests the studio is betting big on this one: "It is our future," the page reads.

The studio found moderate success in 2012's Syndicate reboot, and a couple of upcoming 2013 projects hold plenty of promise. The Starbreeze-owned Overkill Software is currently working on Payday 2, a sequel to the 2011 co-op FPS. Starbreeze is also working with filmmaker Josef Fares on a narrative-driven, multi-platform game called Brothers -- a Tale of Two Sons, which is slated for a spring 2013 release via digital distribution platforms.

It looks like you'll have to settle for guessing and wishing right now, as far as Storm goes. Does that logo image up top give you any ideas?

Atari Inc. has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in a bid to separate itself from French parent company Atari S.A. and focus on growing its business "primarily in the areas of digital and mobile games," according to a press release. The next 3-4 months will see the company liquidating "substantially all" of its assets, including the famed Atari logo as well as the rights to classic games like Pong and Asteroids.

Recent years have seen the corporate entity that we now know as Atari focusing on delivering polished reboots of its classic titles for mobile devices. The Atari brand has changed hands multiple times since the early days of home gaming, but the logo and the games that it represents still means something to longtime gamers.

The company currently known as Atari will continue to stick to the mobile-focused path that it has been in its post-sale days, but the fate of the actual Atari brand won't be determined until we know where the assets being liquidated end up.