The upcoming Halo Reach multiplayer beta will include a "huge chunk" of weapons, armour abilities and maps, Bungie's revealed.

Speaking during an interview with Game Informer, the developer revealed that at least five new guns will be included in the trial, alongside old favourites.

"One new weapon we've yet to really talk about is the focus rifle," said community man, Brian Jarrard. "This is the Covenant really long-range 'reach out and burn your face off' sniper-slot weapon.... you need to hold it on your opponent for approximately one and a half seconds to kill them. It's more about long range suppression than instant death."


Another weapon included in the beta is the grenade launcher, aka 'the pro pipe'. "This was primarily designed to fill a similar role to the plasma pistol and give the Spartans an EMP-capable weapon," explains sandbox design lead, Sage Merrill.

"It has two modes of fire - manual and auto. If you pull the trigger and release it, a single round will fire and detonate upon hitting a target. If you keep the trigger held, the player can choose when they want the grenade to detonate."

Other additions to the multiplayer tryout include the plasma launcher ("the Covenant's answer to the rocket launcher and Spartan laser"), the plasma repeater ("the Elite answer to the assault rifle") and the needle rifle ("a needler mixed with a carbine").

The Halo Reach multiplayer beta is set to be made available to owners of Halo 3: ODST - teabagging and all - on May 3.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Today the iPad was launched in the United States, meaning the eagerly awaited Apple tablet is now in the hands of the public. Based on the relative success of previous gadgets released by Steve Job's company, that means that either an industry is set to be revolutionised (iPod anyone?) or underwhelmed (Apple TV).
Currently in the US just the wi-fi only version is available, priced at between $499 for the 16GB model and $699 for the 64GB device. 3G models are set to arrive in late April, meaning many more patient consumers may well be waiting before they purchase.
Of course, games optimised for – or exclusively for – the iPad will now be rolling out the App Store, but numbers and sales are yet to be confirmed, and will likely remain shrouded in mystery for quite some time.

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/300...launches-in-US ...

A lot of the big iPad launch games are new versions of existing iPhone games with better graphics and a few new features.
Which is fine, but it's good to see that some publishers are debuting entirely new games for Apple's tablet too.
Tapulous, for example. The company is best known for its Tap Tap Revenge music games on iPhone, although it diversified recently with Riddim Ribbon, a game built around the Black Eyed Peas.
Its first iPad game is called Tap Tap Radiation, and it builds on the success of Tap Tap Revenge. It's another music game, with more than 50 free and premium tracks available to tap along to, including songs by Mos Def, David Guetta and Pink.
Oh, and Lady Gaga - there's a six-song download pack available, including monster hits Telephone, Bad Romance and Poker Face.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/36611...y-Gaga-to-iPad ...

Sony’s throwing its weight behind the upcoming PS3 3D update in June by confirming that popular FPS title Killzone 2 will be patched to support 3D in the same month.
As spotted by Gamer Access in the latest edition of PSN series Qore, the move adds triple-A credentials to the firmware update that Sony hopes will allow PS3 to ride the current 3DTV wave.
Whether the game’s 3D update means that previous rumours that a 3D-ready Killzone 3 is preparing for a April 2011 release are now less likely remains to be seen. If the game is on the way, expect a reveal at E3 in June.
Killzone 2 joins the likes of LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout HD, Super Stardust HD and hopefully Gran Turismo 5 in the list of PS3 titles joining the 3D bandwagon.

UPDATE: Sony has stated that Killzone 2 was just one of many titles to get a 3D demo, and is not destined for a full 3D makeover. The statement, as quoted on IGN, is as follows:
"That last feature included interviews, footage from CES 2010, and a brief montage of SCEA titles intended as examples of what 3D gaming might encompass. It is hard to do justice to just how amazing 3D gaming looks in a 2D presentation—even in an HD product such as Qore.

"However, as we wanted to give our viewers an idea of the possibilities that 3D gaming has to offer, we decided to use stock footage of several first-party games that were on display at the show, including Killzone 2 (a 3D version of the television commercial was shown at CES).
"Unfortunately, our feature did not make it clear that the 2D game footage was included for demonstration purposes only. We apologize for the erroneous inference that 3D versions of LBP, Wipeout HD, Killzone 2, Gran Turismo 5 or Super Stardust HD are in production."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38332/Kill...ting-3D-update ...

Time to get excited. Bungie says that you'll be surprised how polished the Halo Reach Beta will be and that it "surpasses a lot of finished games".

Bungie community manager Brian Jarrard told GameInformer: "I think people will be surprised at just how much of the sandbox is being packed into the Beta, how many features are included and how fun and polished the experience is."

He added: "It's definitely still a beta and some rough edges are to be expected, but after playing internally here I'm pretty blown away by how much work the team has put into making this a solid, fun experience that surpasses a lot of finished games."

We're going to be all over it. May 3 can't come soon enough.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Digital software prices slashed ahead of key weekend at UK retail

A routine Bank Holiday sale or an effort to encourage struggling hardware sales – call it what you want, but PSPgo owners old and new will be greeted with some significant discounts the next time they log into the PSN Store.
Several high-profile titles have seen their prices slashed on the service, including the likes of God of War (down from £14.99 to £7.99), GTA Chinatown Wars (£29.99 to £14.99), FIFA 10 (£29.99 to £15.99), Tekken 6 (£31.99 to £15.99) Need for Speed: Shift (£29.99 to £15.99) and Gran Turismo (£17.99 to £13.99).
Permanent price reduction have also been made to a number of games, including many from EA, such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 which drops from £29.99 to £15.99.
One of the main criticisms of the PSPgo to date has been the price of its software downloads, which compared to those available on the High Street – and particularly to pre-owned prices – are generally much higher.
Whether the price cuts can deliver the sort of hardware sales boost all platform holders look for over a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK is the obvious question to ask.

Here’s the list of discounts in full:
PSP Favourites (Available until the 15th of April)
*LittleBigPlanet (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Gran Turismo (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Ghostbusters (was – £14.99/€24.99 now – £9.99/€12.99)
* God of War: Chains of Olympus (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
* FIFA 10 (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £8.69/€10.99)
* Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £8.69/€10.99)
* Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Tekken 6 (was – £31.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* F1 2009 (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (was £31.99/€39.99 now £15.99€19.99)
* Need for Speed: Shift (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Colin McRae DiRT 2 (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Beaterator (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
* Football Manager Handheld 2010 (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
Permanent Price Reductions
* FIFA 09(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Need for Speed: Pro Street(PSP) (was – £17.99/€21.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Madden NFL 10(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* NBA Live 10(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Burnout Dominator(PSP) (was – £17.99/€21.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Marvel Super Hero Squad(PSP) (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010(PSP) (was – £31.99/€39.99 now – £23.99/€29.99)

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38330/Sony...n-Easter-boost ...

Digital software prices slashed ahead of key weekend at UK retail

A routine Bank Holiday sale or an effort to encourage struggling hardware sales – call it what you want, but PSPgo owners old and new will be greeted with some significant discounts the next time they log into the PSN Store.
Several high-profile titles have seen their prices slashed on the service, including the likes of God of War (down from £14.99 to £7.99), GTA Chinatown Wars (£29.99 to £14.99), FIFA 10 (£29.99 to £15.99), Tekken 6 (£31.99 to £15.99) Need for Speed: Shift (£29.99 to £15.99) and Gran Turismo (£17.99 to £13.99).
Permanent price reduction have also been made to a number of games, including many from EA, such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 which drops from £29.99 to £15.99.
One of the main criticisms of the PSPgo to date has been the price of its software downloads, which compared to those available on the High Street – and particularly to pre-owned prices – are generally much higher.
Whether the price cuts can deliver the sort of hardware sales boost all platform holders look for over a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK is the obvious question to ask.

Here’s the list of discounts in full:
PSP Favourites (Available until the 15th of April)
*LittleBigPlanet (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Gran Turismo (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (was – £19.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Ghostbusters (was – £14.99/€24.99 now – £9.99/€12.99)
* God of War: Chains of Olympus (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
* FIFA 10 (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £8.69/€10.99)
* Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £8.69/€10.99)
* Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Tekken 6 (was – £31.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* F1 2009 (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (was £31.99/€39.99 now £15.99€19.99)
* Need for Speed: Shift (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* Colin McRae DiRT 2 (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
* Beaterator (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
* Football Manager Handheld 2010 (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
Permanent Price Reductions
* FIFA 09(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Need for Speed: Pro Street(PSP) (was – £17.99/€21.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Madden NFL 10(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* NBA Live 10(PSP) (was – £29.99/€39.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Burnout Dominator(PSP) (was – £17.99/€21.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
* Marvel Super Hero Squad(PSP) (was – £29.99/€34.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
* WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010(PSP) (was – £31.99/€39.99 now – £23.99/€29.99)

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38330/Sony...n-Easter-boost ...

Insurance firm Swiftcover says its iPhone app has helped two hikers find each other in snowbound Swedish mountains after they became separated.
The app, which is called Stuck, uses geo-location tech to allow people to post a Twitter-style message about their locations or situations. This info is then uploaded to a map of the world with a time stamp.
Other iPhone users can then click on the stamp and, using Google maps, zoom in to locate the person who posted the Stuck.
So when Nico Vittorio and Paul Alonso became separated in the Sarek National Park region of Sweden they pair used Stuck’s ‘Near-Me’ function – which flags up other users nearby – to locate each other, tracking their progress until their paths met.
The app was developed by swiftcover.com’s innovation lab and has been downloaded 10,000 times since it was launched in January.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/33374...-by-iPhone-app ...

Social games platform provider Scoreloop has announced an update to its Core Social SDK, allowing developers and publishers to offer downloadable content and in-game currencies.
Two games are already making use of the new features: Parachute Panic HD and Astro Ranch.
Of course, developers can already offer this stuff using Apple's own in-app payments API. The key to Scoreloop's SDK is whether it makes this easier for them.
"This is exactly what they've been looking for: a set of creative tools that improve the visibility of their games, connect their users for increased engagement and drive revenues through exposure to millions of users," says CEO Marc Gumpinger.
In Parachute Panic's case, developer FDG Entertainment is offering unlockable themes for players who challenge their friends, along with an in-game currency.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/36585...ocial-platform ...