Reviews for the Road: Just Cause

When I went looking for this game it was in the hope that it would be a great as it successor  Just Cause 2. After playing through the narrow story and clocking most of my time running around causing chaos over the games 1,025 square kilometers I've been able to assess how well this game stacks up in the market today for those that want to play it.

Off the bat you are dropped outside the island  of San Esperito, the fictitious location of the games top secret activities. Without any warning, you were supposed to open up your parachute and float down to the beach without even been shown controls. Was I supposed to read through the booklet game companies usually drop into the box, maybe. I wasn't given that luxury since my new out of the box copy of the game didn't come with one, just a poorly designed box with an impossible mechanism to keep the disc stationary.

I should have looked through the action mapping in game perhaps, only if the task of navigating menus were possible. This port to PC was horribly done in regards to control customization and navigation. To navigate you must use the archaic method of arrow and enter keys, not the simpler usage of the mouse. For control customization it only allows you to change from different preset schemes and no available option to change sensitivity. When designing it for the PC platform the developers seemed to drop the ball in this regard.

It's not all bad though, the game offers players an interesting story line with multi-faction warfare. You work for the Agency, Cartels and Revolutionaries, each offering you different bonuses based how well they like you. The game can also give you wonderful landscape views if you crank the graphics up. Being an open world game you get to explore a huge amount land with this series, going from boats, planes and cars. The wealth of weapons that you can choose from is also great, but it falls short since you have a pair of pistols with infinite ammo, why would you use other weapons then?

I'd rate this game a 58/100, this is our sites lowest rating given so far which is shocking at first since this game seemed to offer a lot. When opening it up and putting the disc in nobody can be surprised about the outcome though. For a poor port to PC, clunky controls and an unresponsive environment you go hang on the wall of shame. For those that are still surprised about the outcome, discuss it. You may be asking why such a low rating. Well, just cause.

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Nintendo Direct Wrap Up: September 13th

On Thursday, Nintendo had their latest Nintendo Direct that was headlined by new Wii U information. If you missed it here is the video so you can watch it for yourself. From games to prices this Nintendo Direct delivered so much. Here is a recap that will not only save you an hour of your life, but may even give you a better understanding of everything that was shown.

Starting the presentation Nintendo told the fans that they would release two versions of the Wii U on November 18th, 2012. The two versions are supposed to make picking a console much easier for both your budget and how you will use your Wii U. The basic Wii U package comes with the console itself, 8GB of internal storage, a GamePad, HDMI and AC adapter cables, and a Wii U sensor bar. The deluxe package comes out with everything that you get in the basic version, a black finish, 32GB worth of memory, a copy of Nintendo Land, stands and charger for the GamePad as well as their premium Nintendo Network where you get 10% off digital purchases. The basic version will sell for $299.99 and the deluxe will come in at $349.99.

Something new that was shown off by Nintendo was Nintendo TVii. It is a service that they offer in the form of an application on the console that syncs up with your Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, DVR, and even your TV provider to have all your shows and movies in one place. It has a nice clean UI that make it easy to use. When watching a show or film the game pad shows interesting screenshots and other information so you can share the highlights while watching. They also said that it would cost you nothing to have this feature or any other feature on the Nintendo Network, as they strive to provide consumers with the whole package.

They also showed off some cool games during the presentation. They announced that Bayonetta 2 will now be a Wii U exclusive, right now it is controversial since they never had it before and 360/PS3 users now do not get to enjoy the sequel on their existing console. Monster Hunter 3 will be coming for Wii U and 3DS in march. Activision is now showing strong support for the console just like Ubisoft did at E3 with titles like Skylanders Giants, 007 Legends, and the CoD Black Ops 2. They showed some gameplay of Nintendo Land, and the Metroid multiplayer Co-op + free for all modes look great, almost as if they could be full games. New Super Mario Bros U, now a confirmed launch title was shown off with Boost Rush where as you collect coins the screen scroll speeds up. Nintendo said that in their launch window (November to March) will have at least 50 games.

Are you going to adopt this console early at launch or wait for a price drop? Are you even going to purchase it or do you think that the console will crash and burn? Tell us all in the comments!

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Guild Wars 2 Pre-Order Headstart Begins Tonight: Who will you be?

It is finally here. Many Guild Wars players have been waiting for years to see this day. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands who have pre-purchased Guild Wars 2 you will soon have access to the full game 3 days earlier than the retail release. Officially said to begin at 3AM Eastern time, it has been said on Twitter that the servers could be up and running up to 3 hours earlier. If you are just learning this now you are likely too late. You must wait until August 28th if you want to join in on the adventure.

While you wait, check out some of AnythingGeek's first ever video footage on YouTube as I show you the first part of the game as a Human Warrior. You may also want to check out our early review of Guild Wars 2 to get an idea of how the game works - it is surely very different from other MMOs.

Many were concerned that reviewing the game while in beta was innapropriate due to the amount of changes that have been continuously released as more and more beta weekends and stress tests go by - but it is clear to say that the game has only gotten better over time.

Gotta love the mushroom hat! (hair?)

By now players will hopefully have an idea of what race and class they will be playing for their first character in the full game. If you are unsure I really recommend trying out the new race to the series, the Sylvari. Upon playing a Sylvari Ranger for a little bit of time on a previous BWE I knew then that this was going to be the character I play for my first playthrough. The story seemed to be the most interesting and the starting area was beautiful. However, this should not stop you from playing as all races!

Will you be playing Guild Wars 2 tonight? Are you playing it right now? And who are you playing as your starting character? Let us know in the comments below!

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Train Simulator 2013 Announced

At the Cologne Gamescom the creators of Railworks, RailSimulator.com (RSC), have announced the next game in the series. Train Simulator 2013 brings with it numerous advances as well as included routes for those just joining the the series. RSC as provided arguably the best simulator for all from of rail transportation over the years and has been at the forefront of innovation.

What does this new addition bring to the series? Well numerous graphical, mechanical and brand new features are now included in an already comprehensive simulator.  Below are some of the highlights that can be taken away from the presentation. Firstly the inclusion of Steam Workshop in the series will be available at launch, making new or modded routes, scenarios, and rolling stock now available easily. The series will now boast multiplayer in the form of the new Relay Play mode, there is little detail however but we will know more in the coming weeks. There will be the addition of Quick Drive mode so people that are either new or just want a casual session can quickly pick up and play without all in-depth mechanics behinds it so the learning curve is diminished.

Lastly there is also the inclusion of Xbox 360 controller support, but for a program like this a controller will just not do. What you get in the box is three routes with a number of engines, rolling stock, and scenarios, below is the contents as described during their conference.

Sherman Hill route with new ES44AC, SD70M and SW10

Munich-Augsburg route with ICE 3M Class 406

London to Brighton route with Class 377 Electrostar

Now what about if you already own Train Simulator 2012, do you have to purchase this to get access to the new additions, no. If you already own Train Simulator 2012 there will be a free update to on the same day it is released giving you access to the new features. What you do miss out on however is the new routes and engines as described above. Existing players can treat the new simulator as a DLC pack essentially, so if you do not like the routes or trains, don't buy into them. They will be eventually separate DLC if you want to cherry pick but purchasing 2013 will give you a significant discount over that.

Train Simulator 2013 will launch on September 20th, 2012 on the Steam store. In store versions will be available worldwide in early October.

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Reviews for the Road: Audiosurf

Let's open up the floodgate of reviews of games that we recieved during the summer sale, starting with the game Audiosurf. This game was released on Steam in 2008, shortly after winning the Independent Games Festival's 2008 excellence in audio award.  It is developed by Invisible Handlebar, a personal company owned and operated by Dylan Fitterer. For over four years it has been providing gamers with a way to play their own music in a fun and engaging way. Now that the history is down, the actual review.

For Audiosurf, it's controls and gameplay are supposed to be easy to pick up and play, it truly has achieved this. Something it lacks is originality, as the predecessors of the genre, chiefly Guitar Hero and Rock Band, have nearly the exact gameplay of hitting coloured bars. A difference however is that there is the mechanic of having to create combos with the blocks rather than just hitting them while pressing the correct button. The controls are quite simple as all you need to do is move your mouse left and right to change lanes, and to click either of the moues buttons to use your character's ability.

Speaking of characters, that is what makes Audiosurf fairly unique. There are 3 difficulty settings that each have their own characters. Each comes with its own abilities that make gameplay fun. For example, he 'mono' characters have the highway set up with single colours and grey blocks, avoid the grey and collect the colours to score. The abilities of characters range from saving a single block for later to being able to jump over the highway.

For the highway it is unique to each song, so each time you play a new song you get a different experience. The highway is created by looking at what makes to song unique and creates a visual representation of that for  you to play on.  Factors such as the beat, tempo, harmony and different notes all play a factor into how the highway is formed. Something nice is that unlike other games in the genre it let's you choose files from your own library, making each and every player's experience unique.

Now for the conclusion. The gameplay is fun though it would be better if more unique. The wealth of characters that you are able to use does help with gameplay as it let's you focus on different playstyles and challenges.  Lastly the fact that you are able to choose your own existing music rather than having to buy a bucket load of DLC is great. Something I didn't mention is the leaderboards, they add a cool dynamic but unless you need to prove something they are a minor feature. The only way I could see somebody getting tired of this game is if they play the same few songs over and over. I'd rate this game a 74/100 for having good features but lacking in ingenuity. If you want to try this game out then there is a free demo available on Steam, try it before you buy it!

On a side note the creators announced that another game in the series is on it's way, Audiosurf: Air.  You can sign up for the beta here, and follow Fitterer's twitter for updates.

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AnythingGeek's Steam Summer Sale Hauls

So it has been a good couple of weeks since the coveted Steam summer sale, so we have all had time to digest through some of our games we have all bought. Each one of us bought a varied amount and different games through this sale. What you will find in this article is a list of what we have got through the sale, the value of that list and a small write up on our favorite game that we got. Anyways get your scroll bar ready, to start us off here is Colin's tiny haul.

Colin:

Left 4 Dead 2
Dear Esther
___________________________________________________________________
Retail Total $29.98 USD
Sale Total    $7.48 USD
Saved Total $22.50 USD

I was happy to get a couple games that I've been wanting to play for a while for less than $10. I only got 2 titles, but that is mostly because I went on a shopping spree of sorts with some previous sales. Dear Esther was a fair price for the short amount of time you can spend with it but it was completely worth experiencing. Left 4 Dead 2 is one of those games you can pick up and play anytime and I hope to play it soon with the other AnythingGeek writers!

Jake:

Fallout 3 GOTY
Fallout New Vegas GOTY
Sega Hit Collection
- Total War: SHOGUN 2
  - Total War: SHOGUN 2 - Rise of the Samurai Campaign
  - Total War: SHOGUN 2 - Dragon War Battle Pack
- Medieval II: Total War
- Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms
- Rome: Total War Gold Edition
- Rome: Total War - Alexander
- Empire: Total War + DLC
- Aliens vs. Predator
- Napoleon: Total War + DLC
- SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive Classics
- Comix Zone
- Crack Down
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Gain Ground
- Golden Axe
- Shinobi 3
- Space Harrier II
- Vectorman
- Altered Beast
- Shadow Dancer
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- Bonanza Bros
- Columns, Ecco Jr.
- Eternal Champions
- Fatal Labyrinth
- Galaxy Force II
- Kid Chameleon
- Ristar
- Super Thunder Blade
- Alien Storm
- Bio-Hazard Battle
- Columns III
- Decap Attack
- Ecco The Tides of Time
- ESWAT, Flicky
- Golden Axe II
- Sword of Vermillion
- Virtua Fighter 2
- Alien Soldier
- Gunstar Heroes
- Landstalker
- Light Crusader
- Shining Force
- Shining Force 2
- Shining in the Darkness
- Streets of Rage
- Streets of Rage 2
- Wonder Boy III - Monster Lair
- Sonic Generations
- Renegade Ops
- Binary Domain
- Guardians Armor Pack
- Beyond Oasis
- Dynamite Headdy
- Golden Axe 3
- Phantasy Star 2
- Phantasy Star 3
- Phantasy Star 4
- Streets of Rage 3
- The Revenge of Shinobi
- Vectorman 2
- Wonder Boy in Monster World.
___________________________________________________________________
Retail Total $474.55 USD
Sale Total $62.47 USD
Saved Total $412.08 USD

From all of us here I think I've gotten the most bang for my buck with great savings. The SEGA pack covered much of the company's gaming history from the days they were making the games up to them being a publisher. The Fallout series has a great line up here as well, I look forward to playing it and going through them with mods aplenty. Most of my time however will most likely be spent playing Team Fortress 2 or simply gazing at my massive digital collection.

Sean:

Audiosurf
Grand Ages: Rome
Grand Ages: Rome - Reign of Augustus 
Bethesda Collection
- Skyrim
- Hunted Demon's Forge
- Brink
- Fallout New Vegas GOTY
Civilization V: GOTY
  - Civ V Korea/Wonders DLC Combo
Mount and Blade: Warband
  - Warband Napoleonic Wars DLC
Star Ruler
Shogun 2 Collection
- Total War: Shogun 2
  - Blood Pack
  - Dragon War Battle Pack
  - Hattori Clan Pack
  - Ikko Ikki Clan Pack
  - Sengoku Jidai Unit
  - Rise of the Samurai Campaign
- Fall of the Samurai
  - Saga Faction Pack
  - Obama Faction Pack
  - Tsu Faction Pack
  - Sendai Faction Pack
Railworks 3: TS2012 + Horseshoe Curve
  - CN WideNose Pack DLC
  - Canadian National Addon
  - Trains vs Zombies DLC
Star Wars: KOTOR 
SimCity 4 Deluxe 
Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition
Left 4 Dead Bundle
- Left 4 Dead
- Left 4 Dead 2
Galactic Civilizations II
Oblivion Game of the Year Deluxe
___________________________________________________________________
Retail Total $367.63 USD
Sale Total    $111.70 USD
Saved Total $255.93 USD

To pin down which game is my favorite from this sale is hard since I got a lot of great games for dirt cheap, but one really stood out from the rest. I've been a fan of trains since I was a little kid so Railworks was on my wishlist for a long time. I'm quite surprised by the amount of content already in game, and the specific DLC can really give players what they want. Right now I'm looking into the world editor and so far I'm making decent progress on my own route.

Great hauls by everyone here. You can expect many of these games to either be reviewed or featured on the site in the future since we get enjoyment from them all. What did you get, how much did you spend and what game is your favorite from the list? Post your thoughts on the subject below and don't be afraid to correct our math!

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Wii U Box Design Leaked

Since the Wii U was announced officially at E3 there has been a lot of speculation on all of the details. Price, release date, games at launch versus launch window, and a number of other details to decide whether people want to lay down their money or not. Recently we have gotten a number of sources such as Amazon, Target and other retailers putting up images for the games that are launching with the console. Below are the pictures of the game cases of these various titles as well as an alternative view of the case.

From what we can see, Nintendo appears to have adopted a blue case that will pop out to consumers on the shelf. I think this is good since earlier designs pointed to have the same case as the Wii but just adding in the "U". No word on dimensions but I think we could expect something similar to Wii cases, maybe slimmer judging by the pictures. Until Nintendo shows the game cases themselves I would take each new rumor with a grain of salt, but since these images were from multiple different retailers it gives this rumor good standing.

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Source 2 Engine Hinted in Source Filmmaker

From our long summer hiatus we have returned! To get things started off in a timely fashion here is the latest story in regards to gaming. The gaming company Valve is synonymous with many great things out there, including their dated Source engine. Over the course of a decade they have constantly updated it so it can stay inline with modern engine technology.

Recently some fine people at Valve Time have dug out some lines of code and files from the Source Filmmaker that seems to point to a whole new project from Valve. Below is some highlights of what they have found out.

Line 1387:
'''Return an str with the current engine version.
If key doesn't doesn't exist, assume 'Source', otherwise invalid -- assume next-gen 'Source 2'.'''

Source 2 tool Icons (above)

• appicon

• terrain_tool_toggle_control_cage

• terrain_tool_select_verts

• terrain_tool_edge_smooth

• paint_tool_icon

• scale_tool_icon

From what is being seen here it seems Valve wants to slowly integrate Source 2 so it will not be such a huge leap but a smooth transition with all the added features. This story is currently developing so we will bring you important updates as they happen.

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Total War: Rome II Coming 2013

Hey there folks, Atzunew here for some strategy game news.  The creators of the Total War series, Creative Assembly have confirmed yesterday that they plan on releasing the next installment of their series next year.  Rome II will return to one of the most intriguing eras of history.  Below are some comments from the developers themselves on the game as well as the series.

"Our games have always encompassed a grand vision.  But we’re now pushing that vision at both ends of the spectrum. From the immense reach of the sandbox campaign right down to the human-level drama of a single warrior on the battlefield, we're aiming for an unprecedented level of detail and scale".

Now we all wait holding our breath for what this game will entail.  Will it have a grand scale such as it's predecessor or will this game focus on the Apennine Peninsula. Also we raise questions such as what time during the empire are we taking part in.  All these questions will be answered and more once details come through, and follow AnythingGeek.net for those developments as they come.

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Rovio teases first new IP since Angry Birds

Yesterday the creator of Angry Birds, Rovio released a teaser trailer for their newest IP Amazing Alex. The trailer for this game shows no game play but the website has lots of information about the game. From what the website says the basis of this game is to build your own levels that have  creative solutions for your friends to solve.


When building these levels, you have the choice of 35 different interactive objects to use to make it as challenging as you like. Within the main game there is 100 challenging levels, that you must complete solutions for that being said Rovio encourages you to do really creative solutions. Rovio has not yet set a release date for their latest IP but on the trailer it say's "soon". This game will be launching on iPhone, Android and iPad.

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Company of Heroes 2 First trailer

Today Relic Entertainment released the first trailer for their upcoming game Company of Heroes 2. This game is set to be released in 2013. The trailer features no footage of game play. All it features is CGI effects the lack of game play is disappointing. Along with this trailer they also released two new screenshot's of the game which you can see down below.

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Pokémon Black 2 White 2: The Shiny Situation

As many of you know the Black 2 and White 2 games have released in Japan, now we all get to see what these games entail.  We are bombarded by new changes that are both quite interesting or even revolting.  What we take away from the new additions will transfer over to new games, new generations and shape the way we view the series.

Something of interest are the nature of shiny Pokémon in these two new games.  These certain Pokémon have always been a rarity since their inclusion in Gen 2, a prestigious achievement for any player that caught one legitimately.

Now there are two items that will influence the amount of shinies people have.  The first item is the Shining Charm, directly influencing the the encounter rate of Shiny Pokémon.  While we don't know the mathematics behind the odd increase it is obviously safe to assume that this item will decrease the value of a shiny since there is the possibility of flooding the market with them.  The second one, while not directly ties to shinies will still help increase the rate at which people acquire such Pokémon.  This item is called the Round Charm and it increases the amount of eggs which the daycare man finds.  This coupled with the Musada method will no doubt help people get their favorite shiny.

Maybe I'm being to traditional in my thinking that shinies should be a large rarity but I'm not excited for the influx of people on the Wi-Fi trade service showing off their shinies asking for lvl 1 Zekroms.  Stay tuned for more news and opinions regarding these two games.

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Darksiders 2 Wii U Box art Leaked

Hello there folks, Atzunew here with some small news.  Recently Amazon Germany put up the following image up for pre order of Darksider 2.  It looks nice but the news comes from the fact that this is the first look at Wii U box art.  Overall the design looks very similar to the Wii's, something that I wish they changed up just like how they changed the box art style with the DS and 3DS boxes.

This could just be a very nice mock-up but it would be quite a bit to do given the quality of it, as well as the official "Licenced by Nintendo" symbol, something they can't legally put on mock-ups.

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Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut Coming June 26th

Now that most of us have played through Mass Effect 3 and have either been busy with multiplayer, sobbing over the ending, or completely raging over how Bioware and EA screwed up - both companies are now completing their promise of an extended cut that players will be able to enjoy on June 26th on Xbox Live, PSN, and Origin for free.

Here are some of the important points that Bioware has discussed regarding this DLC:

How large is the Extended Cut?
The Extended Cut requires roughly 1.9 gigabytes of storage.

How do I get the Extended Cut?
The Extended Cut can be downloaded from Xbox LIVE, Origin on PC, and PlayStation Network at no additional cost.

What is included in the Extended Cut?
The Extended Cut expands on the endings of Mass Effect 3 through additional scenes and epilogue sequences. It provides more of the answers and closure that players have been asking for. It gives a sense of what the future holds as a result of the decisions made throughout the series. And it shows greater detail in the successes or failures based on how players achieved their endings.

Does the Extended Cut change the endings?
The Extended Cut is an expansion of the original endings to Mass Effect 3. It does not fundamentally change the endings, but rather it expands on the meaning of the original endings, and reveals greater detail on the impact of player decisions.

What save game should I load to play the Extended Cut?
[SPOILERS] To experience the Extended Cut, load a save game from before the attack on the Cerberus Base and play through to the end of the game. The Extended Cut endings will differ depending on choices made throughout the Mass Effect series, so multiple playthroughs with a variety of different decisions will be required to experience the variety of possibilities offered by the new content.

What do you think of this new content so far?  I'll probably just catch it on Youtube as I don't want to replay through Kai Leng and Banshee hell again. Stay tuned for more information regarding this DLC pack.

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Nintendo 3DS XL and More Shown off on Nintendo Direct

Last night was surely a late one for many Nintendo fans, with a new Nintendo Direct streaming live at midnight eastern time. It was full of great information and videos. And while much of it has been seen before there were some 'surprises' including of course, the Nintendo 3DS XL:

Nintendo 3DS XL

90% larger screen than original 3DS
Updated form factor (rounded)
Better battery life
Will launch in red and blue colors
Bundled with a 4GB SD card
MSRP of $199.99, releasing August 19th

The 4GB SD card (compared to the 3DS' 2GB will allow Nintendo to push downloading full games from the eShop even more, starting with New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the eShop August 19th, the same day as the 3DS XL's launch.

Pics

Nintendo also showed off a long line-up of games coming to the 3DS before the year is over, including:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Skylander Giants
Adventure Time
Lego The lord of the Rings
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Kingdom Hearts has a demo available right now in the eShop, so be sure to check it out!

Some other games were given new details including release dates:

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS)

Will be coming to North America November 1st
Downloadable puzzles available every day for a year (FREE)

Super Smash Bros. 3D

Will be a partnered effort between Nintendo and Namco Bandai, including Sakurai
Started development after the completion of Kid Icarus: Uprising

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition (Wii)

6 classic Kirby games
Includes soundtrack and collectible book

New Super Mario Bros 2

Releasing August 19th
Coin rush mode: 1 life, compete with friends over StreetPass
Full local co-op though enitre game
Many new items to get you more coins!

Fire Emblem

Coming in 2013

Nintendo will also begin to move into more DLC, including paid add-on content. Coin rush stages will be available for purchase for NSMB2 and Fire Emblem will also have paid DLC available.

Also announced were what 3DS users are to expect as to specific features while playing the DS games Pokemon Black 2/White 2. Players who have bought the upcoming eShop game Pokemon Dream Radar will be able to transfer their caught Pokemon to Black/White 2. Also to look forward to are many new and reduced price Virtual Console games coming to the eShop, starting today with Super Mario Land for $2.99.

Finally, in Japan the Nintedo Direct also seems to have shown off the latest Animal crossing game coming to the 3DS. You can check out that footage here, and the entire North Amierca Nintendo Direct below:

What was your favorite announcement? What did I miss? Let us know in the comments below!

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Nintendo Direct June 21st Live Blog

AnythingGeek's very first live blog is below. We will follow the Nintendo Direct event as it is streamed live at 12AM EST, while taking your comments! Expect more info on the future of the Wii, DS, and 3DS.

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Nintendo Direct Tonight: Wii U Release Date, New Zelda Remake?

Today we got word of a new Nintendo Direct conference coming soon to our monitors. This conference will start at 12:00 AM EST, quite late considering past Nintendo Directs. If you want to know when it will be on for you, use the following time zone converter to find out.

No word on what the conference will pertain to but I hope it is either the Wii U's Price and release date or information on the rumored Zelda remakes of Majora's Mask or Link to the Past. We will have a round-up of the announcement right after it concludes so be sure to check out our coverage. To watch live head over to the Nintendo Direct website tonight.

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Pokémon Black 2 White 2: Early Copies Give New Info

Hey there folks, Atzunew back on the track of BW2 news. Recently some lucky ducks got their copies of Black/White 2 early. These users from the Japanese forum 2ch have been busily posting new information. Obviously there are spoilers so don't look if you're saving your surprise for the release. However, here are some of the highlights that we thought were interesting.

• The rival’s default name is Hugh/Hue/Hyuu (ヒュウ), the female player is named Mei (メイ) by default, the male character’s default name is Kyouhei.
• Video below shows off the player getting their starter Pokémon in a cool CG cut-scene.
• Repel can now be used again without going into the menu. After one runs out, it asks you “Repel’s effect ran out. Use another one? Y/N?”.
• The World Tournament is based in Driftveil City where the Cold Storage used to be.
• Iris is now the champion, no longer a mere gym leader. Drayden is now the Opelucid City gym leader for both versions.
• After clearing the game, you will be given a Key. This key allows for changing the game’s mode between Normal Mode (standard levels), Assist Mode (Trainers’ level will go down), and Challenge Mode (levels will go up). The Key also allows for the changing of Black City to White Forest and vice versa.

This is just a taste of the amount of content within Black & White 2. Continue to follow our coverage of these games to find out more of what to expect when it releases to Japan June 23rd and to us in North America this fall.

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Battlefield 3 Premium E3

In EA's conference they discussed with DICE on the nature of their new premium service, Battlefield Premium. This is essentially BF's answer for CoD Elite.  Like CoD Elite it will feature content that would enrich a fan's experience in a number of ways.

Members will get access to unique camo, dogtags and knifes, mostly vanity items.  What you would really pay the price of $49.99 for is the 2 week early access of DLC packs.  Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armoured Kill, Aftermath and End Game will be available in this service and separately.  Below is the trailer that they showed, the same trailer that was leaked recently.

 

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