XboxSold.com BLOG

The Batman is very pleased this day. His next adventure, Batman: Arkham City, is “complete,” playable from start to finish and in need only of some tender polishing. 

The information was discovered on a recent OPM podcast (#11 for those who want to hear for themselves), which revealed some exciting new details about the sequel. For one, there’s a new grapple system that propels you into the air, which should make for some extended bat flight and some harsh punishment from above. 

There was also a discussion of co-op play (which would make sense considering there were previous hints of multiplayer), but nothing is confirmed yet. There’s definitely something brewing in the land of multiplayer, but we’ll have to wait and see just what it is. I’m sure it involves punching. 

It’s important to remember that “complete” doesn’t mean that the game’s going to be in our hands tomorrow, but, you know, I don’t even care. Just knowing that all the parts are in place makes my fists ready for bashing. In the best way possible.

Batman: Arkham City is “Complete” [CVG]

Because you can’t get enough collections of Namco Bandai classics, the publisher has announced another one — Namco Museum Megamix for Wii. The disc will feature 18 arcade ports, along with six “remixes” versions of games that feature 3D updates and Wii motion controls.

Expect to find the usual suspects on in Megamix, including Pac-Man, Galaga, Mappy, and Rally-X. It’s the updates that should have you interested, though. Pac-Motos will let you control your own Pac-Man, tilting the Wii Remote in an attempt to knock other players out of an arena. GROBDA Remix has players controlling Pac-Man through arenas taking out tanks. “Get ready!”

Namco Museum Megamix is out November.

Red 5 Studios announced today a new team-based shooter, FireFall, due to be released some time in 2011. And it has bugs. Nasty, disgusting bugs. I can only assume that they must all die.

The game is being developed by a team made up of designers from the Tribes series and the lead designer of World of Warcraft. Quite appropriately, the game is a mixture of the design philosophies of these two series: take a dude shooting stuff and toss him online shooting at stuff with a ton of other people. While the game is being described as a massively multiplayer game, it will not carry a monthly subscription, instead relying on in-game transactions to keep it going.

There’s a hell of a lot going on in that gameplay video: resource gathering, jetpacking, and even some air travel. If all of this is done right, this could be a damn fine 2011 release. I never could get into the Tribes games, but I’m all in for FireFall. 

Who needs to be at PAX? We’re bringing it to you! Disney is letting PAX Prime goers go hands on with its upcoming title TRON: Evolution, allowing them to get a taste of the game’s free-running, combat, and the light cycle in action.

While this doesn’t quite match playing it, we’ve got a video of the game in action for you to watch in the comfort of your chair. If you’re standing, sit down. I can’t imagine why you’d be standing up and reading this though, unless it’s on your phone, and chances are you can’t watch this video anyhow.

The demo at PAX is the same thing I played pre-E3, and while it showed promise (I had fun with the combat, based on Capoeira) , but need a bit of polishing. If you did attend PAX (or you’re there now — why are you reading this?), then let me know what you think of the game. It’s out for PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 on December 7, a few weeks before the film, TRON: Legacy, hits theaters.

I didn’t ever really expect to be playing Duke Nukem Forever. But in my dreams, when I did, I was just shooting, kicking ass, and complaining about how I was all out of bubblegum. Gearbox has other ideas.

In the opening moments of the Duke Nukem Forever demo, playable to the public at PAX this weekend, Duke Nukem takes a leak. What’s more, you press a button in order to make him pee. But the level of interactivity with Duke and his world doesn’t stop there. As Duke you’ll also be able to play basketball, pump iron, read “adult magazines,” and even draw nasty messages on white boards. Oh, and drool over half-naked women… how very Duke Nukem of you.

Yeah, all of that shooting and kicking ass I’d dreamed about, it seems we’ll get it in 2011 when the game ships for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. We’ll be able to do it all over, too, from the Vegas Strip to the Hoover Dam.

I had come to accept that Duke Nukem Forever would have to live only in my dreams. But learning that it’s a game where I can both play basketball and take a leak (eat that NBA Elite 11!), well, it can’t come soon enough. 

Hey everyone, Ninja Theory’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has gone gold. That’s right, it’s done, which means it’ll be good to go for its previously announced October 5 release.

Enslaved is Ninja Theory’s multi-platform (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) follow-up to the PS3-exclusive Heavenly Sword. Our gamescom team loved it. Like, would not stop talking about it “loved it.” I’m playing it now, and I’m not allowed to say anything until next week. But, I completely and totally… wait, nevermind. I’ll save it for my preview next week; embargoes and such.

Now that Enslaved is done, Ninja Theory can really get to cracking on Devil May Cry 5, right? Right?

Perhaps trying to steal the show from one Mr. Duke Nukem, Sony has announced a release date for Guerilla’s Killzone 3. It’ll be on shelves February 22 in North America.

If the wait between Killzone and its sequel seemed a bit longer than you had to wait for Killzone 3, you’re not imagining things. Guerilla’s Herman Hulst admitted that the development cycle for Killzone 3 was much shorter than Killzone 2. He points to a more experienced development, having learned many lessons from bringing Killzone 2 to life. But he’s clear that doesn’t mean Killzone 3 is a copy-paste of Killzone 2.

“There’s nothing really in Killzone 3 that’s straight from Killzone 2,” he told me, “everything’s been improved.”

The game’s multiplayer is playable to the public for the first time at PAX this week. If you’re there, check it out, and stop reading stories on the Internet.

Killzone 3 Coming to PS3 February 22, 2011 [PlayStation Blog]

At the conclusion of his keynote at the Penny Arcade Expo today, Junction Point’s Warren Spector revealed the second half of Epic Mickey’s opening cinematic. In it, Mickey finds himself trapped by the Mad Doctor, where he encounters an old foe — Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. You can see the first half of the intro here.

If you weren’t there, you missed the reveal. Sorry about that. But lucky for you, it’s right here. We’ve even got some fancy new screenshots to sweeten the deal a bit. Aren’t you glad you stayed home?

Epic Mickey is out this holiday, and you’ll probably want to spend some extra cash to get the “epic” collector’s edition.

Military personnel looking to pick up Medal of Honor this October will have to do so off-site. The Army and Air Force Exchange Services has announced that the game will not be stocked in any on-base GameStop or other post exchange in U.S. military bases worldwide. The reason is because of the inclusion of Taliban fighters in the game’s multiplayer, naturally.

The commanding general of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services explained that this is done out of respect for the men and women who have fought against Taliban insurgents. I don’t particularly oppose the move, especially since there are still other means for soldiers to purchase the game. Nonetheless, I find it curious that the top brass would think soldiers who live day in and day out through so much would be unable to handle some this. Kind of selling them short, don’t you think?

Video Game Pulled Globally From Military Stores Over Taliban Inclusion [Kotaku]