Microsoft and LucasArts announced today that “Kinect Star Wars” and the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Kinect Star Wars” console bundle will both be available on April 3rd, 2012 in North America for $49.99 and $449.99 respectively.  Star Wars fans of all ages will soon be able to bring the Star Wars universe home and become part of the films like never before with the power of Kinect for Xbox 360.

With five dynamic modes – Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, Podracing, Rancor Rampage, Galactic Dance Off and Duels of Fate – “Kinect Star Wars” makes it possible for Star Wars fans of all ages to delve into immersive Star Wars experiences. In addition to the previously announced Jedi, Podracing and Rancor modes, Xbox 360 and LucasArts have today unveiled new additions to the game, including:

• New experiences within Jedi Destiny Mode, including:

• Space battles: As you travel the Galaxy to face an evil that threatens to undermine the fabric of the Republic, you’ll engage with forces of the Empire in intense space battles

• Speeder Bikes and Landspeeders: Pilot iconic Speeder Bikes and Landspeeders on your epic journey

• New duels: Battle opponents like Count Dooku and Darth Vader on your journey to become a Jedi

• New Duels of Fate mode, a battle-by-battle experience to sharpen your Jedi skills against the Dark Side.

• New Galactic Dance Off mode loaded with Star Wars-themed pop tunes where those still honing their Jedi skills can take a break to battle Darth Vader on the dance floor or bust a move “Solo style.”

The Limited Edition Xbox 360 bundle will also debut alongside Kinect Star Wars on April 3rd, and is available now for pre-order through participating retailers. This first ever custom Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle includes an R2-D2 blue-and-white themed console, a custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controller inspired by C-3PO and the first ever white Kinect sensor.

Priced at $449.99, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle will include:

• Kinect Star Wars game
• Custom R2-D2-themed Xbox 360 Console with custom sounds
• White Kinect Sensor
• Custom C-3PO-themed Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
• 320 GB Hard Drive
• Xbox 360 Wired Headset
• Kinect Adventures game
• Exclusive DLC – now known to be the C-3PO unlockable for Dance Mode.

See larger image Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle (Video Game) List Price: Price Not Listed New From: Check Amazon For Pricing In Stock This title will be released on April 3, 2012.

Elite Drop 1: Liberation, a militarized Central Park in the heart of NYC, featuring a vast landscape ripe for long-range sniper and LMG kills. Mounted turrets on opposing ends of the map offer overwhelming firepower to anyone brave enough to man them.

See larger image Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Video Game) List Price: $59.99 USD New From: $35.95 In Stock Used from: $29.95 In Stock Release date November 8, 2011.

With many rumors, and leaked images over the past few days, Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 6 is in full development and scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 on November 20, 2012 with a Windows PC version to follow. Blending action and survival horror, this latest installment in the multi-million selling franchise is the most ambitious, immersive and feature rich title of the series to date and promises to be the dramatic horror experience of the year.

It has been ten years since the Raccoon City incident and the President of the United States has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place in the belief that it will curb the current resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Due to be by the President’s side is his personal friend and Raccoon City survivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers a bioterrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a President transformed beyond recognition and make his hardest ever decision. At the same time, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield arrives in China, itself under threat of a bioterrorist attack.  With no country safe from these attacks and the ensuing outbreaks, the entire world’s population is united by a common fear that there is no hope left.

2K Games announced today that BioShock Infinite from Irrational Games will feature a new form of play – the 1999 Mode, designed to challenge players in a variety of ways – each requiring substantial commitment and skill development. Those who played the original BioShock may remember how difficult the original game was. A certain achievement required players to not only play on Hard difficulty, but were not allowed to use any of the respawn points known as Vita Chambers. The reward was a 100 point achievement, and a certain feeling of accomplishment. We can only imagine how difficult the 1999 mode will be, and the reward at the end of the journey.

1999 Mode is a way of playing designed for gamers who long for the days of games that demanded more of the player. It will include tweaks and features that BioShock fans will not experience in a standard play-through of BioShock Infinite, no matter the difficulty level.

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” said Ken Levine, Creative Director of Irrational Games. “In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.

“I’m an old school gamer. We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me. So we went straight to the horse’s mouth by asking them, on our website, a series of questions about how they play our games. 94.6 percent of respondents indicated that upgrade choices enhanced their BioShock gameplay experience; however, 56.8 percent indicated that being required to make permanent decisions about their character would have made the game even better.”

In addition to these permanent decisions, 1999 Mode will feature demanding weapon, power, and health management. The mode also takes a much harder stand on player respawning, sending the gamer directly to a “Game Over” screen if he or she lacks the resources to be brought back to life. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Shank Uncut Gameplay Clip Jan 18 2012 from .

Award-winning independent game developer Klei Entertainment and EA Partners today announced that the 2D action brawler, Shank 2, will be available on the Xbox LIVE Arcade on February 8, 2012 for 800 MSPoints (or $10.00)

Set in a pulp fiction world, Shank 2 puts players back in control of their favorite ex-mobster hitman, Shank. Klei has evolved the combat experience with precise controls, new weapons, smarter enemies, and more advanced combo techniques, all set to the backdrop of beautiful 2D art and animation. Players can put Shank’s trusty arsenal of handguns, chainsaws, grenades, plus all-new weapons to use in order to protect those close to him.

Introducing an all-new Survival Mode, gamers can team up with a friend online or locally, working together to take down hordes of goons in an action-packed, arcade-style brawl. Featuring stunning visuals from Klei’s veteran cartoon director, Jeff Agala,Shank 2 raises the bar even higher for 2D brawlers with art and animation that won Klei multiple awards and nominations.

Microsoft and Epic Games today released “Fenix Rising,” the third major game add-on for Gears of War 3. Featuring five spectacular new multiplayer maps inspired by the life and experiences of Marcus Fenix, “Fenix Rising” also introduces four character skins and a new experience system that allows players to rank up through level 100 four times to unlock exclusive emblems and weapon skins.

With the purchase of the add-on, players who attain level 100 will have a choice to “Re-up” for another tour of duty to showcase their valor and dedication as elite “Gears of War” fans. Their experience and rank will be reset, but all other progression (including TrueSkill rating) will remain intact. Players can “Re-up” up to three times, earning a new wings color each time: Red, Green, and Gold. The rank number will also be colored Red, Green, or Blue. Each “Re-up” level also awards the player an exclusive, custom weapon skin that cannot be obtained by any other means.

Available on Xbox LIVE for 800 MSPoints (or $10.00) or included as part of the “Gears of War 3” Season Pass, “Fenix Rising” expands the multiplayer battlefield with five stunning new maps – Academy, Anvil, Depths,  Escalation, and the Slab – delivering endless hours of frenetic online action across Versus Multiplayer, Horde and Beast Mode. Additionally, players who purchase “Fenix Rising” will gain access to four new character skins (Recruit Clayton, Thrashball Cole – Limited Edition, Savage Marauder and Savage Kantus – Limited Edition) for use in Versus Multiplayer and Horde Mode.

Remember, if you have the Gears of War Season Pass, do NOT use this link to download the DLC. Instead, pop in your Gears of War 3 disk, and you will be prompted to download the DLC for free.

[Gears of War 3 - Fenix Rising Map Pack]

UTV Ignition Games, together with developer Denki, today announced that Quarrel will be released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for only 400 MSPoints (or $5.00) on January 25, 2012.

In Quarrel, players must battle their opponents for control of an island split into territories. In order to do this, they must create the highest scoring word from a given eight-letter anagram, ultimately claiming the land on the quest for total vocabulary domination.

Adding an entirely new level of fun to the game, Quarrel for Xbox LIVE Arcade will support four-player multiplayer!

Additionally, the classic single player allows players to compete against nine fiendish artificial players, all of whom have unique personalities and play styles. There’s also Challenge Mode, which pits players against the AI like never before and sets new mini-objectives of battle.

Additional features include:

• Collins Official SCRABBLE Dictionary (2nd Edition 2007 © HarperCollins Publishers 2005, 2007)
• Social network features including Leaderboards / Achievements / In-Game messaging and Voice Chat
• Microsoft Avatar Support
• Online 1-4 Player Multiplayer
• All-new Single-Player Challenge Mode

Delivering on promises that new DLC was on the way, Deep Silver announced today a new mission-based DLC pack that will be released for the best-selling action horror blockbuster, Dead Island.

The Ryder White DLC campaign follows the story and perspective of the main game’s antagonist character and allows players to experience the events on Banoi through his eyes.  Players will take on the role of Ryder White as a playable character in a single player campaign with several hours of gameplay as well as brand new weapon blueprints.

“I always like to think of antagonist characters not as evil, but simply….misunderstood,” evil Marketing & PR Tarantula Aubrey Norris argued while sharpening her talons and drinking the blood of the innocent from a jewel encrusted chalice.  “Ryder White was obviously suffering from a massive case of beast mood in Dead Island, and I think it’s only fair we got to learn his side of the story.”

Dead Island’s Ryder White DLC will be available on the Xbox 360 on February 1, 2012 for 800 MSPoints (or $9.99.)

Rockstar Games recently announced that a special edition of Max Payne 3 is available now for pre-order for the Xbox 360. However, the Special Edition, which was available for pre-order starting on November 21, will only be available until January 15, which is just a few days away. If interested, this might be your last chance to order it!

The contents of the Max Payne 3 Special Edition includes:

• A copy of Max Payne 3;
• 10” tall Collectible Max Payne Statue created in a collaboration between TriForce and Rockstar Games;
• Series of game-inspired Original Still Life Art Prints that depict some of Max Payne’s inner demons and vices;
• Copper and brass-plated iron, bullet-shaped Bullet Keychain featuring a screw-off back;
• Classic Multiplayer Character Pack of eight playable multiplayer characters for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, including fan favorites from the original MaxPayne and Max Payne 2 like Max Payne from Max Payne 2, Mona Sax and Vladimir Lem;
• Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer that includes the Hammerhead Auto Shotgun, G9 Grenade Launcher and Molotov cocktail;
• Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack featuring the game’s instrumental score.

Max Payne 3 Special Edition will retail for $99.99 in North America and is available for pre-order from now until January 15, 2012 while supplies last.

See larger image Max Payne 3: Special Edition (Video Game) List Price: $99.99 USD New From: $99.96 In Stock This title will be released on May 15, 2012.

Although we don’t know officially which game will kick it off, we have a strong feeling that Alan Wake’s American Nightmare will headline the party, followed by I Am Alive, Nexuiz, and lastly Warp. Let it be known that no dates (besides the first game releasing on February 15) have been announced yet, so any of the four games could be released anywhere after that date.

I Am Alive

In this post-apocalyptic adventure, survive the suffocating, murky streets covered in dust and search for your lost wife and daughter amidst the crumbling ruins of a once-thriving metropolis filled with distrustful survivors, dangerous armed gangs, and victims in need.