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Infinity Blade Dungeons delayed to 2013

Infinity Blade Dungeons delayed to 2013
Infinity Blade: Dungeons won't come out until 2013, Epic Games spokesman Wes Phillips tells AllThingsD. Infinity Blade: Dungeons premiered with the unveiling of the new iPad in March but still hasn't touched down, it wasn't mentioned during the iPhone 5 reveal, and some rumors had it launching with Apple's supposed iPad Mini on October 23.

Not so, says Epic. "Ever since the talented team at Impossible Studios got their hands on Infinity Blade: Dungeons, they've been busy adding their great ideas to the game," Phillips says. "There was also the matter of getting the Impossible Studios team up and running with desks, chairs, staplers and computers. The logistics of a new studio and implementing all these great ideas required a little extra time, so Infinity Blade: Dungeons will hit iOS in 2013."

Non-gaming software category added to Steam Greenlight

Nongaming software category added to Steam Greenlight
Steam's crowd-sourced Greenlight approval process has now begun accepting applications for non-gaming software, which the platform began featuring recently. The submission, voting and approval process for software is identical to that of the existing system for games, which is to say that approval comes by way of popular vote.

So! If you've been sitting on an alpha build of a program to track your cat's sleeping patterns, now might be a good time to dig it up and start debugging.

Iwata Asks about the WiiPad's ability to work through walls

The Wii U hardware development team is aware that the first thing most people will do with their WiiPads is see how far they will work away from the console, inside their homes. The WiiPad's radio waves need a clear line of travel to the Wii U to work properly, meaning even things such as walls and holding it vertically posed a problem for the team. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata describes the vertical issue himself during the latest Iwata Asks:

"To address why holding it vertically may have been an issue, is because radio waves don't spread well underwater, but the human body is 60 to 70 percent water, so it can interfere with radio wave paths. Since you hold it both vertically and horizontally, it gets more difficult to place the antenna where the radio waves can easily reach it."

The Product Development department at Nintendo had to deal with this problem, as well as the wall issue. Of course, the team says, working through walls depends entirely on what materials those partitions are made out of. Other factors, such as placing the Wii U on a metal surface, can reduce the WiiPad's range.

One question the team got was if people will be able to use the WiiPad in the bathroom, and for the answer we have anecdotal evidence from Product Development member Toru Yamashita. "By the way, my living room and bathroom are separated by a single wall and I was able to use it."

MechWarrior Online made $5 million off 'Founders Program'

MechWarrior Online open beta next week
Infinite Game Publishing (IGP) and Piranha Games achieved $5 million in sales off the MechWarrior Online "Founder's Program." Since July, the multi-tier pre-order program gave those interested in the game the opportunity to play early and provide feedback.

"The success of the Founder's Program reinforces IGP's vision to help independent developers build exceptional games with the right economic model for the global marketplace," said IGP CEO Nick Foster. "We are in a unique position to be able to deliver a pipeline of high quality, innovative content for online game players."

That pipeline includes the coming MechWarrior Tactics and Sins of a Dark Age. There's still no definitive date for when MechWarrior Online will be nominal and enter open beta.

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Sleeping Dogs goes digital on PSN in Europe and Australasia

Sleeping Dogs goes digital on PSN in Europe and Australasia
Sleeping Dogs is waking up and going for digital walkies on PlayStation Network in Europe and Australasia. Square Enix's action-adventure is now available to download from both continents' stores, and comes with three of the downloadable packs released to date.

There's the Retro Triad Pack, which gives you some funky 80s garb and a kiler kung fu van to trawl the streets of Hong Kong with. Also included is the Red Envelope Pack, which dispenses 20 red envelopes (funnily enough) throughout the region, each one stuffed with $50,000 HK. Finally, there's also the Street Racer pack released yesterday, which is kind of self-descriptive. Except one of the three races included is water-based, so there's that.

The digital edition is now available in Europe and Australasia, priced £47.99/€69.99/$89.95 AUえーゆー. We've reached out to Square Enix to find out if we can expect something similar for the North American PlayStation Store too.

Max Payne 3 'Hostage Negotiation' DLC arranges October 30 launch

Max Payne 3 'Hostage Negotiation' DLC arranges October 30 launch
Earlier this month, Rockstar pushed back its Max Payne 3 "Hostage Negotiation" DLC pack, following a botched launch in September. Today Rockstar dated the pack for October 30 on all platforms.

Hostage Negotiation adds four new multiplayer maps – Club Moderno and Estádio Do Galatians, and the favelas of O Palácio Strip Club and Favela Heights – to Max Payne 3, plus two new rifles, a new Explosive Burst booby trap and additional cosmetic options, and a new avatar faction. Hostage Negotiation will cost $10 (800 MS Points) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC when it launches on October 30.

Black Ops 2 Wii U won't launch with Call of Duty Elite

Black Ops 2 Wii U won't launch with Call of Duty Elite
Black Ops 2's Elite service won't be available in any form on the Wii U at launch, Activision says.

"We are currently evaluating options for Call of Duty Elite to support Nintendo's Wii U game system, however Call of Duty Elite for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will not support this platform when the game launches on November 13," Activision tells Kotaku.

This is true in more than just the Elite sense, since the Wii U doesn't launch until November 18 in North America. Activision recently announced Elite will be free across all platforms for Black Ops 2 and will have a season pass for DLC, at least on Xbox 360. There's no word yet on a season pass for other platforms, but Activision is "working with Nintendo" to bring it to Wii U.

Dead Rising 2 and Off the Record on sale this week at Capcom Store

Dead Rising 2 and Off the Record on sale this week at Capcom Store
Capcom's deal of the week makes both Dead Rising 2 and the spinoff Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, available for the low price of just $12.99 a piece. Dead Rising 2 OTR is on PSN for the same price as part of the Halloween sale. That's a huge saving on zombie killings: One of the game's achievements asks you to kill 72,000 zombies, so if you finish that achievement, you'll only have paid 1/50th (rounded off, of course) of a cent per kill! It's rare you find zombie killing that cheap these days, especially in this economy.

Plus, if you've already played Dead Rising 2, this is your chance to play that Off the Record version, which places the first Dead Rising's Frank West in the protagonist's chair. Being that it's the deal of the week, the offer lasts no more than seven days from now (and probably less, depending on when you're reading this), so if you want to take Capcom up on it, grab away.

Sega teases return of Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers, Virtual On and more


Sega of Japan has released a (very) short teaser, er, teasing the impending announcement of five new games. Showing the text "2x5," and following it with five very recognizable sound clips from some of Sega's greatest arcade games, specifically those that ran on its Model 2 board. All told, we hear Akira from Virtua Fighter 2, Bahn from Fighting Vipers, rings from Sonic: The Fighters, and the announcers from Virtua Striker and Virtual On. Sega will apparently be making an announcement about the games tomorrow, presumably that they're coming to download services like PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers and Sonic: The Fighters aren't exactly a surprise, as they've already been rated for Xbox by the USK, but this is the first time we've heard of Virtua Striker or Virtual On. Good news for fans of soccer and giant robots!

Mario and Zelda characters meet Maxwell in Scribblenauts Unlimited

Scribblenauts
The Wii U version of Scribblenauts Unlimited will allow players to summon "dozens" of characters and items from the Mario and Zelda series. "Discovered Nintendo characters and objects will behave in the fun and fantastical ways they do in their respective game worlds," Warner Bros. says.

Should you want to tinker with any of Nintendo's beloved characters, Scribblenauts Unlimited features an object editor, which means you should be able to make a nightmarish, yet charming, cross-franchise Nintendo chimera. Look forward to it! WB informed IGN that you won't be able to mess with the Nintendo characters in the object editor. No singing Link for you!

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Pikmin 3 to spring up on Wii U in spring 2013

Pikmin 3, one of Nintendo's biggest Wii U titles, is slated to arrive on the new console this spring. The news comes via the latest Iwata Asks column, which centers around the Wii U GamePad. The discussion itself really has nothing to do with Pikmin 3, though the release window is mentioned in a note.

We enjoyed our time with the game at E3, particularly the more interactive environment and beautiful presentation.

Outlast is a new survival-horror game from industry vets at Red Barrels


Outlast is a survival-horror game built on Unreal Engine coming from new studio Red Barrels. The Montreal-based studio was founded by industry veterans from Ubisoft and Naughty Dog, with Outlast being the newly formed outfit's first game. Outlast is set to debut in 2013 for the PC through digital distribution channels.

Outlast stars journalist Miles Upshur, who breaks into Mount Massive Asylum, located in the isolated mountains of Colorado. The long-abandoned asylum has been recently re-opened by the "research and charity" branch of the Murkoff Corporation and, acting on a tip, Upshur breaks in to ascertain exactly what the corporation is up to. If there's one thing we're certain of, it's that Upshur will probably come to regret that decision.

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Cavanagh's Don't Look Back now on iOS & Android, VVVVVV may follow

Cavanagh's Don't Look Back now on iOS and Android, VVVVVV may follow
Terry Cavanagh is considering bringing VVVVVV to iOS and Android, after releasing his short 2009 game Don't Look Back for free on the App Store and Google Play today. The Super Hexagon creator posted on his blog revealing he saw the Don't Look Back port as a "trial run" for VVVVVV. While Cavanagh isn't promising an iOS and Android port, it's certainly a distinct possibility. Although Cavanagh tells Joystiq "it may not happen this year." So don't go pinning all your hopes on finding the iPad version of VVVVVV under your Christmas tree (especially since it'll be digital and your tree's probably physical).

Cavanagh's chiptune-stuffed 2D platformer arrived on PC back in 2010, and then made the jump to 3DS last year. It didn't, however, use the console's touch screen controls. This may explain why Cavanagh wanted to try porting Don't Look Back first, a 2D platformer which he gave on-screen buttons to on iOS. As Cavanagh puts it, it's a "pretty simple port" of a game which is a bit rough around the edges. It's unlikely to be indicative of how VVVVVV would run on iOS, especially given how sado-nefariously intricate Super Hexagon is.

Forza Horizon 'Rally Expansion Pack' kicks up dirt December 18

Forza Horizon 'Rally Expansion Pack' races in December 18
Forza Horizon will veer wildly off the beaten path with a new DLC expansion due December 18. The "Rally Expansion Pack" adds off-road rally racing to Turn 10's racer, including "deeper ruts, higher jumps, and new surface types to explore."

Unlike in real life, it'll be fun to drive in these unsafe conditions because the game provides you with virtual, rally-tuned vehicles and a helpful co-driver. So you're not just out there ruining your own car in some mud.

The Rally Expansion Pack will cost 1,600 Microsoft Points on its own ($20), and will be included at no additional cost as part of the Season Pass.

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Ubisoft sues Black Eyed Peas for $1m over absence of love for iOS game

Ubisoft sues Black Eyes Peas for $1m over lack of love for iOS game
Ubisoft filed a $1 million lawsuit yesterday against BEP Music LLC, a company which owns the Black Eyed Peas trademark, for neglecting to recognize the publisher's planned iOS version of The Black Eyed Peas Experience. Following the Wii and Xbox 360 versions released last year, Ubisoft claims BEP breached the companies' contract regarding an iOS version. According to Ubisoft, the contract states the band agreed to approve or disapprove the iOS version within 10 business days of a request. Ubisoft says BEP Music failed to acknowledge requests for approval, despite repeated attempts.

Ubisoft claims the company spent $233,000 developing the iOS game, and that figure combined with loss of profits amounts to a total of $1 million in damages. While Ubisoft didn't name the company or the game in question in its complaint, as Player Attack notes BEP Music only owns the one trademark. I Gotta Feeling the French publisher isn't about to Shut Up about this anytime soon.

Code of Princess review: Royal brawl

Code of Princess review
In reviewing games at Joystiq, our mission is always to attempt to convey the actual experience of playing a game, as opposed to just listing its features and capping things off with a score. In the case of Code of Princess on the 3DS, that experience boils down to tapping the B button like a caffeine addict, with the occasional special move thrown in for flavor.

It's not as though Code of Princess is the only brawler to succumb to this pattern, however, and like other brawlers, it still manages to be enjoyable in spurts, but rings hollow by the time the credits roll.

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Over 40 Sega classics for $10 on PC

40 Sega games for $999 on DotEmu
Do you like Genesis games? DotEmu gives you the chance to drink from the Sega firehose, with a $10 bundle of over 40 downloadable Genesis (and Master System) games for PC. The contents are similar to Steam's Genesis classics packs and the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection discs, but the price is a bit more appealing.

In addition to the headliner stuff like all the Sonic games, Golden Axe and Columns, we'd like to point out that this bundle gets you both Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier, two hardcore run-and-guns by Treasure that are easily worth paying $10 for alone.

PSA: New PlayStation Store up today in Europe for PS3

PSA New PSN Store launching today in Europe
European PS3 owners will be greeted today by a totally new PlayStation Store with a "What's New" page (which is both about new content and, itself, new.)

The new design uses a series of refreshed feature categories, and a mosaic of large on-screen images to present new content. Enjoy your sneak peek at ... peeking at lists of games, as the redesign does not come to North America until next Tuesday, October 23.

Zynga moving forward in lawsuit against former Cityville GM over theft

Zynga get restraining order against former Cityville GM
Zynga has earned the requisite crystals to move forward on its lawsuit against former CityVille general manager Alan Patmore, who it accuses of stealing company secrets for use at his new employer Kixeye. All Things D reports the social games company has been granted its request to depose Patmore, have forensic experts search his electronic devices and extend the restraining order preventing Patmore from destroying or deleting any information he obtained.

"Patmore does not dispute that he took 763 files from Zynga, which contained confidential game designs from teams around the company, and that he transferred those files to his computer at Kixeye where he's currently the VP of Product," Zynga attorney Jay Monahan said in a statement.

All Things D also received a statement from Kixeye CEO Will Harbin, who obviously didn't feel like pulling any punches: "Zynga is burning to the ground and bleeding top talent and instead of trying to fix the problems - better work environment and better products - they are resorting to the only profit center that has ever really worked for them: their legal department."

Zynga claims the files Patmore allegedly took would help someone replicate its business, along with projections and plans for 10 unreleased games. Harbin concluded his statement by asking why his company would want to emulate Zynga's business when The Ville publisher has seen a 75 percent decline in its stock since its debut?

Star Citizen FAQ outlines modding, micropayments, hardware requirements

Star Citizen FAQ outlines modding, micropayments, hardware requirements
If you're looking forward to Chris Roberts' new Star Citizen title, you'd best be saving your pennies for a PC upgrade. Much like Roberts' 1990s-era Wing Commander series, the new game will push the limits of your hardware, this time courtesy of the CryEngine 3.

The space combat sim's website has updated with a new FAQ that outlines the game's projected system requirements (it recommends an i7 CPU and a GTX 670 or better graphics card, but keep in mind that launch day is two years away). The FAQ also mentions Star Citizen's modding philosophy and its payment model.

Modding is encouraged, as Roberts says that players are free to tweak the game however they wish on private servers. The devs also "hope to institute a mod approval process that will allow the best of the best player-created ships and other additions to be integrated into the central persistent world as well," according to the FAQ.

In terms of payments, you'll need to buy the game initially and that's basically it. There will be no monthly fee, though "some in-game items may be available as microtransactions." Unlike most free-to-play titles, Star Citizen's cash shop "will never sell anything that can't be acquired through honest (and fun!) gameplay."

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