Mass Effect Trilogy lands on 360 and PC November 6, PS3 later

Mass Effect 1, 2, & 3 are being released in an all-in-one bundle for Xbox 360 and PC on November 6, and for PlayStation 3 at a later date. The compilation, titled Mass Effect Trilogy, is priced at $59.99.

Mass Effect Trilogy sees the first Mass Effect come to PS3 for the first time, and that game will also be released as a digital standalone on PSN. Also, there's crucially no mention of the compilation coming to Wii U, a fact that makes the Wii U release of Mass Effect 3 eleven days after Mass Effect Trilogy hits a bit awkward. We've reached out to EA regards whether or not the trilogy includes previously released DLC.

EA also announced N7 Day, a "worldwide celebration of the Mass Effect franchise" that of course takes place on November 7. Whether or not fans can tear themselves away from the trilogy released the day before is another matter.

Mass Effect Trilogy

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• Source: EA

Assassin's Creed 'Ezio Trilogy' exclusive to PS3, launches November 14

It's a day of trilogies! Hot on the heels of EA's Mass Effect Trilogy compilationannouncement is word of a PS3-exclusive bundle from Ubisoft. Assassin's Creed Ezio Trilogy will launch on November 14 for $39.99, bundling Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed Revelations.

In addition to the stock games, Assassin's Creed Ezio Trilogy also tosses in all of the Assassin's Creed 2 DLC, which should mean the Bonfire of the Vanities and additional Templar lairs. We've inquired with Ubisoft to confirm the precise DLC inclusions, and will update accordingly.

Update: Ubisoft says the Assassin's Creed 2 DLC included is Bonfire of the Vanities and Battle of Forli.

• Source: PlayStation Blog

Sony plans to support PS3 through 2015 at least

Sony isn't abandoning the PS3 any time soon, PlayStation VP of hardware marketing John Koller tells Gamespot.

"We are increasingly bullish on the PS3's prospects not only this year but over the next few years," Koller says. "A lot of great content is coming. And over the next two to three years, the PS3 has got an incredible lineup."

As long as developer interest exists for the PS3, Sony will continue to support it, similar to the PS2, which launched in 2000 and still scoops up a few games each year.

"We're going to continue supporting the PS3 for the next few years. Absolutely. And we're going to continue supporting it not only that long, but as long as there is a development spigot that's running hot," Koller says. "Same thing with PS2... it's kind of stuck around as that old warrior, many years after its launch. But there's still games launching for it."

Sony is launching a super-slim version of the PS3, the console's third design since it hit shelves in 2006. A new, 250GB PS3 runs $270, while the 500GB is $300 – both of these will have to compete with the Xbox 360, which has a $200 option, and the Wii U, Nintendo's new console that starts at $300.

Koller stands by the price of the PS3 redesign, citing the $270 version's full-time bundle package. Consumers want "value," and the new PS3 offers "a $70 consumer value when you get Uncharted 3 Game of the Year... and Dust 514with $30 extra DLC coming in," Koller says.

• Via: Ars Technica
• Source: Gamespot

Say hello to the super slim PS3

Sony sent us one of the slim(mer) PS3s announced last week during TGS. Now, before you dive into our gallery of images below, we should set the record straight on a few things – specifically, the new disc tray and the lack of a hard drive bay.

Update: The new model does indeed support new hard drives. To access the bay, you need to push off the plastic bezel on one of the system's ends. We apologize for the oversight.

As for the new disc tray, there's a plastic latch connected to a large plastic bar on the front of the console. Pressing the bar on the right side will turn the console on and off; the left side of the bar will release a latch holding the sliding door, allowing it to slide back and reveal the disc tray. Perhaps the saddest part of all this is how the sliding door doesn't make that "whoosh" sound from Star Trek.

In summary: It's indeed lighter and smaller than the previous two PS3 models, and it doesn't make any sounds from Star Trek. None.

PS3 Super Slim (Unboxing)

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Sony's Koller: 'Almost all' PS Vita owners have a PS3 as well

Our pals over at Engadget recently interviewed John Koller, Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles. Koller revealed that "almost all" PS Vita owners also own a PS3.

"You look at the Vita consumer and a very high percentage – almost all of them – own a PS3," Koller told Engadget. The interview focused on Nintendo's Wii U, which offers functionality similar to the compatibility between PS3 and PS Vita – like using the PS Vita as a tablet controller. Koller said that Sony's not really into offering the functionality stock across all games. It has to be the right content.

"We tell our PlayStation fans all the time that what the Wii U is offering is something that Vita and PS3 can do quite easily," he said. "It's dependent on the content. So we need to make sure the content isn't force fed. And, to us, making sure that the gamer receives the right type of experience is what's most important. So we're gonna pick our spots, but that technology does certainly exist here."

• Source: Engadget

Exploring Assassin's Creed 3's Revolutionary combat mechanics

Assassin's Creed 3's gameplay elements will feel very familiar to longtime fans of the franchise, with the significant exception of the combat mechanics. It'll be interesting to see how fans adapt and newcomers react.

"We rebuilt the combat system. I think one of the most striking comments we've heard in the last two days is how different it feels to fans of the franchise to previous game. I think you can do a lot," Alex Hutchinson, creative director on Assassin's Creed 3 told me at a recent press preview. "The whole flow of it is different, the archetypes are different, the old strategies just won't work."

Curious about the specifics, I asked Hutchinson for standout examples of differences between the previous four installments in the series and the latest iteration.

"For example, before, a counter was an automatic kill. You didn't have to make a decision after that, you could just spam the attack button. Before, you had to target everyone individually by using the left trigger, which you no longer have to do. You would block on the right trigger, which is now a face button. You couldn't run out of a fight in the old version, but now you can, because the right trigger is still free run. Nobody attacked simultaneously, which they do now. It's virtually a complete rewrite."

Assassin's Creed 3 (9/24/12)

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What actually struck me about the combat system is how much it was trying to capture thatBatman: Arkham City magic, though it didn't seem to achieve the rhythmic flow of the Dark Knight's games. Hutchinson is pleased with the scenarios capable in the new combat system, however.

"I'm much happier than we were before. It's much more fluid, and if you're a good player, you can run into conflicts, pick everyone off, be interrupted by a guy attacking you, counter him out, take his weapon and move out of the fight in one fluid motion. Before we felt the combat was very stop-start and that it had degenerative strategies, which you could discover and start spamming particular buttons," expressed Hutchinson.

I did find myself spamming the normal attack button during my session. Steven Masters, lead game designer, believes that may be due to my having been dropped right into sequence six of the game at the preview event, instead of building up a muscle memory of skills over time.

"Getting in and out of combat is completely different. It's now completely state based, if you're standing near an enemy you're automatically fighting. You don't have to lock in and lock out, so you can move in and out of combat really fluidly," Masters explained.

There are also moments in combat, when surrounded by a group of enemies, that a line of redcoats will form a musket line. It's actually possible to grab someone as a human shield at that moment to absorb the lead balls.

I spoke with Masters how we've seen an ever-growing selection of weapons in the series, but they've never seemed to take the place of the trusty hidden blades with a secondary projectile weapon.

"How we balance them is the different weapons have a certain number of hits before they trigger a combo. As you, say, get your tomahawk, the first one will take five hits to do [a combo], then as you upgrade it'll go down to three," said Masters, expressing that the variety of weapons allow players to choose the types of animations they prefer to see. "The different weapons offer a different style of fighting, it's really down to personal preference. Me, I like the war clubs because they're big and brutal. There's just sort of a 'Wham!' feeling to them."

Both Hutchinson and Masters stressed that the new counter system adds many more dynamics to combat situations, with many enemies having natural resistances to certain moves and players needing to identify the best strategy for different types.

I'm looking forward to trying the combat again in more natural increments, getting some time to find the nuance in it. Thankfully, not going to have to wait too long, Assassin's Creed 3 will have players reliving the American Revolution October 30.

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The Last Express rolls onto iPhone and iPad September 27

Over 15 years on from when it first set out, Jordan Mechner's The Last Expressis arriving on iOS this Thursday, September 27. In collaboration with French distributor DotEmu, Mechner re-released his 1997 adventure game on PC lastyear, but this year it comes to iPad and iPhone with some iOS-friendly tweaks.

The Last Express is set on the Orient Express in 1914, combining an evocative, momentous time with romance, murder, and intrigue. Initially conceived in 1993, four years of high-end development took its toll on financial reserves, and than in turn hurt marketing and shelf life. While the game was a commercial disaster, it earned high acclaim from mainstream outlets like USA Today and Newsweek, an incredible achievement for a game of its time.

If waiting for trains isn't your style, you can download the PC version now onDotEmu and GOG.com, which comes with a walkthrough, making-of video, and soundtrack.

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Take a tour of Sony's booth at TGS 2012

Sony had a big presence at the Tokyo Game Show this year, as evidenced by its hefty booth. Join us on a video tour of the booth, including looks at some of the company's new goodies, including the even slimmer PS3, red and blue Vitasand the HMZ Personal 3D Viewer.

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Grand Theft Auto 3 PSN release confirmed for tomorrow

As suspected, Grand Theft Auto 3 is one of this week's PlayStation Network releases. The game first appeared on the Asia PlayStation site last week, scheduled to come to PSN on September 25, and lo, Sony made it so. Sony actually intended to release Rockstar's 2001 classic earlier this year, but hit a delay after a licensing issue with the soundtrack.

Mirror's Edge is also doubly confirmed for release tomorrow, after Sonydropped news of its arrival via last week's PlayStation Blogcast. Neither game has a price yet. Also on the way are One Piece: Pirate Warriors, Tokyo Jungle,Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins, Starhawk, Realms of Ancient War, (the brilliantly named) Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit, Table Ice Hockey (for Vita),Turnabout (PSOne), and Final Fantasy III (for PSP.)

If you like your anthologies digital and downloadable, prepare for smiles tomorrow at the prospect of the Infamous and Ratchet and Clank collectionsbecoming available on PSN, because they will. If not so much, why not prepare for smiles anyway?

• Source: PlayStation Blog

Strapping on Sony's HMZ-T2 Personal 3D Viewer

Sony's HMZ-T2 Personal 3D Viewer certainly gives off a good first impression. The device looks sleek, like something out of the future, the sort of streamlined future that movies have been promising us since Metropolis. Actually strapping the thing to your head is a slightly different experience.

The unit had a tendency to slide down my nose during my hands-on session at TGS, though this was alleviated somewhat with the straps tightened. Essentially, the entire weight of the HMZ-T2 is distributed between a pad that rests on the forehead and the strap that circles the user's head. Even with straps tightened, it can be difficult to keep the HMZ-T2 stable, which is especially important to experience the headset's 3D display. I found myself having to adjust it frequently. 

Sony was demonstrating the HMZ-T2 with Minna No Golf 6 (AKA Hot Shots Golf 6), which probably isn't the best game to showcase the headset's 3D capabilities. Something from a first-person perspective might have been more apt, but the 3D effect seemed about on par (har har) with that of a 3DS. While the unit itself is very close to the face, the screen appears to be floating several feet away.

The 3D effect was most pronounced in sections where visual depth was more apparent. Shots on the putting green and camera cut-aways, in particular, looked best. In other words, sections of gameplay where objects moved toward or away from the camera, something 3D displays tend to do well.

At the end of the day, however, that's all you have: a head-mounted 3D display. There is no head tracking, making the $900 price awfully steep just to play games or watch movies in 3D. Apart from the more intimate viewing experience, you're not getting anything that a decent 3D TV wouldn't provide (although I suppose the HMZ-T2 takes up significantly less space). The HMZ-T2 is slated for release in Japan next month.

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God of Blades slays iOS September 27

God of Blades by White Whale Games, showed off at Fantastic Arcade over the weekend, combines auto-running, swordfighting, and libraries. You'll be able to see how that unlikely combination plays out when the iOS release launches this week, on September 27.

PC and Mac versions are due later, both of which include the multiplayer "Slayers" mode that pits two players in brutal duels. That's not in the iOS game, but the single-player gameplay is similar enough that you can consider it practice.

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Saints Row: The Third compilation disc drops in November

Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package will smash into stores across North America and internationally on November 6 and 9, respectively. As the title of the bundle implies, The Full Package includes every piece of DLC released for the game – and that's quite a lot.

Highlights include mission packs Gangstas in Space, Trouble with Clones and over 30 items from the Shark Attack pack, Witches and Wieners pack, Special Operations pack and the Genki Girl Vehicle pack. It's all in there!

The full package is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for $50. All of Saints Row: The Third's over-the-top DLC made one of the best games of 2011 even better.

Saints Row: The Third (The Trouble With Clones DLC)

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Saints Row: The Third (Gangstas in Space)

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Saints Row: The Third (Genki Bowl VII DLC)

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Final Fantasy 3 coming to PSP Tuesday

Final Fantasy 3 will be available to download on PSP on September 25, as revealed in a recent PlayStation blog.

While both the price of the game and Vita compatibility weren't noted, the PSP version will see a few subtle changes. Namely, players will be able to switch toFinal Fantasy 3's original background music, graphics will be optimized to suit the system's 16:9 screen, and it will include an auto-battle system to speed up combat.

• Source: PlayStation blog