Category: Xbox 360 Features

Microtransactions are all the rage, so Activision’s getting involved

Activision blogger Dan Amrich has posted details of a new set of DLC packs that are winging their way to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. On March 13th, you’ll get access to new personalised packs to dress up your guns and online avatar and also the pre-order exclusive map, Nuketown 2025 will become available to all for free. Nice, eh?

All the updates are listed below, but so far have only been announced for Xbox 360. We expect it’s on a timed-exclusive basis like everything else though, so expect it to land on PS3 and Wii U in future. Let’s see what you get…

• Personalisation Packs – 160MS buys yous a custom pack of reticules, camo and a Calling Card for your pleasure. There’s even a tasty bacon variation where you can cover your guns in pork rashers.
• Nuketown 2025 – Pre-order exclusive will now be available for free
• Nuketown

New costumes, rides and weapons in this New Year’s celebration pack

The much-anticipated Year of the Snake DLC pack for Sleeping Dogs is out now on Xbox 360 for 560MSand PS3 for £4.49. It follows on from the end of the main story and sees Wei Shen busted back down to beat cop in the Hong Kong Police Department. But don’t worry, he’s soon back fending off armies of crazed killers with a host of new weapons and outfits. See…

We’ve got a Year of the Snake review right here.  But for more information on Sleeping Dogs be sure to follow us on Twitter to find out what’s going down in 140 characters or less. In the mean time, take a look at all the other DLC that’s available for Sleeping Dogs.…

A bite-size slice of vehicle mayhem that feels a little out of place

nited Front Games has certainly taken a unique spin on the DLC front. A fully-fledged expansion here, a few new costumes there – the content’s been in constant flow, but it’s been one hell of a mixed bag. And the new Wheels of Fury pack is no exception.

In principle, it’s a sound idea: five missions that give you a tricked-out super car to wreak vehicular destruction across Hong Kong – and a few extra races thrown in too. Each new mission gives you a new upgrade – from increased armour to the obligatory twin-gattling gun/extra beverage holder combo.

Let’s make something clear – this is by no means a bad piece of content. It’s loud, fun and bombastic, but it’s the kind of addition more suited to the comic book rule set of Saints Row The Third than the gritty semi-realism of Sleeping Dogs.

Don’t have a Gold account? Then this weekend is for you

Narrative-driven content that should’ve been on the disc originally? Hmmm…

As a piece of DLC, From Ashes is a difficult thing to review. Mass Effect’s allure comes from seamless story-telling, so to judge the worth of this DLC you have to consider the impact it has on the overall story – not just how good the extra mission is. It’s also difficult to review because ‘day-one DLC’ is always a controversial move. Because as you’d expect from this term, the content is available from pretty much the beginning of the game.

Responding to a distress call from a human colony, you quickly realise that Cerberus are up to their usual galactic tomfoolery. This time they’re after a real, live Prothean who’s been in stasis for the past 50,000 years. Naturally, it’s your job to recover him first. Other than finding the Prothean, named Javik, there’s nothing revolutionary to be experienced here. It’s a standard case of “Go activate this terminal, …

End the week in style with our recommendations

This week ushers in one helluva sale on Xbox Live. We’ve been tracking the daily announcements all week and you can find more in-depth information on them all here, here, here,  here, here and here if you like. Though some might have already expired. However, we’ve gone ahead and picked our favourites below for you to enjoy this weekend.

But it’s not just an Xbox 360 love-in, no ma’am, we’ve also plucked the best PlayStation games you can grab on PSN right now. Oh, and if you’ve ever fancied trying out the premium PlayStation Plus subscription we’re giving away free 30-day trials right now, so help yourself . You’re welcome.

Xbox Marketplace

GRID | Price: £2.69

It might be nearly four years old, but this racer from Codemasters still speeds ahead of most driving games of late. Each race feels intense and the courses and cars still look incredible after all this …

New character video for Capcom’s XBLA, PSN, Wii U eShop adventure

Ooh, we like these – it’s another character trailer for Capcom’s XBLA, PSN, and Wii U eShop sword-and-magic side-scrolling adventure, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. This time it’s the turn of the bearded powerhouse – aka the Dwarf – to show us his mettle:

Dwarf is the fourth (it rhymes!) character trailer, following behind Elf, Cleric, and Fighter. By our calculations, that leaves Thief and Magic-User still to come.

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is scheduled to arrive in June for PSN and Wii U eShop, priced £11.99/€14.99/ $14.99, and Xbox Live, priced 1200MSP (£10.28/€14.40/$15).…

Survivor and Fashion Victim expansions are free for early birds

Pre-orders for the upcoming zombie splat-fest, Dead Island Riptide will come with two separate DLC packs. The Survivor (available at all good retailers) and Fashion Victim (exclusive to GAME in the UK) expansions contain all this lifted direct from the press release, hence the gratuitous use of exclamation marks…

Survivor DLC Pack

• •  A BBQ Blade! This special pre-order pack contains an exclusive weapon only available here! How better to dispose of the wretched zombies than with a sharp blade? Add in some workbench-modifying and hook it up to a few fuel tanks to bring some heat to a zombie’s heart! The so-called “BBQ Blade” lets you wade through zombie hordes with ease!
  • An XP/stats booster! Want that extra edge to level up faster than your peers? Here’s your chance!
  • A special shop! The Survivor Pack will grant you access to a shop offering a special discount on weapons and items!

Spooky expansion will leave you feeling cold. For all the wrong reasons

Ah, the difficult second DLC. As a dev, do you play it safe, farming out another slice of fan-pleasing content? Or you do play a wild card and shoot for something a little more off-the-wall? This question faces Crystal Dynamics with Lara’s Shadow – and it’s one that seems to have gone unanswered.

Set during, and after, the events of the main game, you play as the goth-styled clone of Lara Croft – the Doppleganger. Being a brand new-ish character you’d assume this is a wild card DLC package? Alas, you’d be wrong.

The Doppleganger manages to sum up the whole DLC in one painful statement – a brief glimpse of a good idea that doesn’t work. Rather than realise the potential of a supernatural Lara Croft, the devs do nothing more than casually add a few effects to an already existing set of moves. So that 800MS …