PlayStation 3 gamers in PAL regions will be getting the complete God of War Trilogy in one box set. The PlayStation.Blog Europe announced the God of War Collection, remastered PS3 versions of God of War and God of War II, will be released in April 2010. This is the same God of War Collection released in North America last year. It's currently available for $29.99.

The God of War Trilogy bundles the remastered God of War Collection and last week's new God of War III in one set, making it a great introduction for new PS3 gamers, or God of War collectors. It will be available for €89.99 or £64.99. Some PlayStation 3 PAL gamers may have already been able to pick up the Trilogy set in the God of War III Trilogy Collector's Set, which included the extra God of War III downloadable content and Pandora's Box collectible. Chances are that it may be tough to find, so the God of War Trilogy offers another bundled option.

See the release dates and more details on the God of War Trilogy here at the PlayStation Blog Europe. A God of War Trilogy box set has not been announced for North America.

Write Comment (0 Comments)

Today's new WiiWare and DSiWare games have been announced by Nintendo. Cave Story is a new WiiWare game from Nicalis, available for 1200 Wii Points ($12). Three classic Nintendo Game & Watch games are available from the DSi Shop for 200 DSi Points each ($2), in addition to two other new DSiWare games, Drift Street International and Libera Wing. Get the new games using Wii / DSi Points (available here). No additional Virtual Console games were released for this week.

Here are the details from Nintendo on today's WiiWare and DSiWare games, which will be available beginning at 9am PST:

WiiWare

Cave Story
Publisher: Nicalis, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 1,200 Wii Points™
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent, rabbit-like creatures called Mimiga run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village, you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control, learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Nintendo DSiWare

Drift Street International
Publisher: Tantalus
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Drift Street International is the ultimate high-speed, white-knuckle street racing experience, made exclusively for Nintendo DSiWare. Slide and boost your performance car around challenging city streets in high-intensity midnight races across the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. Precise, responsive controls give you total control of your car - push yourself to the edge and own your opponents. Drift sideways through corners, building your nitrous meter to let you boost past opponents on the next straightaway. Test your skills against challenging, aggressive AI drivers, or take on your friends in four-player head-to-head wireless races. Additionally, each track plays host to arcade-style checkpoint races and challenging speed trials in which you must keep the speed close to the max to avoid elimination. Unmatched speed, smoothness and draw distance are only possible by taking full advantage of the Nintendo DSi hardware.

Libera Wing
Publisher: Pixel Federation
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Earth Union controls a large part of outer space. Suddenly, the connection with some of its stations is aborted and there are rumors of enemy ships approaching. Only the captain of the elite fleet Libera Wing can save the people from destruction. Become the captain of Libera Wing and save Earth Union from destruction in this tower- defense-style action-strategy game. Your objective is to combine the right strategy, item usage and abilities of your command ship. There are 36 story levels and 24 quick-play levels waiting for you.

Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Conveyor belts carry tubs of cement to the mixers below. Use the elevators to move Mario to different levels of the factory, dumping cement from the top mixers to the mixers below and into the trucks. Earn points for every load of cement you drop from the mixers to the cement truck. Receive mistake icons by letting a mixer overflow with cement, trying to get on an elevator when you are not level with it, or hitting the floor or ceiling while riding an elevator. Receive three mistake icons and it's game over!

Game & Watch: Chef
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Move the chef to catch and flip the falling ingredients before they hit the floor. Contend with three ingredients in GAME A or four in GAME B. Earn one point for every ingredient the chef successfully flips into the air, or a mistake icon for each time you drop an ingredient. Receive three mistake icons and it's game over!

Game & Watch: Judge
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You have a split second to decide: whack your opponent or duck out of the way? Numbers appear on two large signs. If you think your number will be as big or bigger than your opponent's, whack him with a mallet. Dodge if you think your number will be smaller. Earn points based on correctly whacking your opponent or dodging an attack. The first player to reach 99 points wins.

Write Comment (1 Comments)

Amazon.com is having special deals throughout the day today on PlayStation 3 games. Today on March 22nd, Dante's Inferno is on sale for $38.99 (also for the Xbox 360). Six PS3 games will go on sale in various Lightning Deals throughout today as well. Below is the time of when the sale begins, with hints on what each game will be. The PS3 game and sale price will be revealed at the hour listed. Make sure you show up on the hour, because the quantities are limited and the really good deals will go lightning fast!

Here are some hints from Amazon.com on the Lightning Deals, as well as the time the sale begins (listed in Pacific time):

6:00 AM PST - "For the Dark Knight in all of us."
9:00 AM PST - "This storied fighting franchise returns for another bout."
1:00 PM PST - "You might have played this RPG on your 360."
4:00 PM PST - "Help Lego Dr. Jones through your favorite cinematic moments."
6:00 PM PST - "Wave around your PS3."
7:00 PM PST - "Don't "tapout" on this great MMA deal."

Hmm, any guesses on what PlayStation 3 games they could be? A few of my guesses are Batman: Arkham Asylum, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, and UFC 2009 Undisputed. Make sure you show up on the hour to see what games they are and at what discounted price they are selling for. Follow our GamingBits Twitter account to get the link when they are available and what games they are.

See today's PlayStation 3 Lightning Deals here!

Write Comment (0 Comments)

Final Fantasy XIII is proving to be a very popular addition to the Final Fantasy series, becoming the quickest selling Final Fantasy game to date. Square Enix has announced it's been the fastest selling Final Fantasy game so far, selling more than one million units in North America during the first five days of its debut (March 9 to March 13th). A total of 5 million units have shipped, or sold-in, worldwide to retailers.

Square Enix said, "Cumulative global shipments of the FINAL FANTASY series have now reached 96 million units since the first game was launched over two decades ago."

Final Fantasy XIII is now available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It's currently unknown how many units of Final Fantasy XIII sold for each platform, but you can look forward to the March NPD Group sales breakdown when it arrives next month. Visit the official Final Fantasy XIII website at finalfantasyxiii.com for more details on the game.

Write Comment (1 Comments)

SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog and Sony's Sackboy collide for some fun in LittleBigPlanet. Sony's LittleBigPlanet is getting the Sonic Unleashed Costume Kit on Thursday, March 25th. In the costume pack, you'll get the following Sackboy costumes:

- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Knuckles
- Dr. Eggman
- Sonic WereHog
- Tails
Also, some classic Sonic stickers are included for use in LittleBigPlanet.

Watch a very cool trailer below of the Sonic costumes at play in the Sonic the Hedgehog: Greenhill Zone (currently available for download in LittleBigPlanet). Pricing on the Sonic Unleashed Costume Kit hasn't been announced, but it's likely to be $5.99 (as the other licensed LittleBigPlanet character packs are currently priced on the PlayStation Store).

From the US PlayStation Blog

Write Comment (0 Comments)

New games available this week include Just Cause 2, Red Steel 2, and in the following weekend, the new Nintendo DSi XL system (Sunday, March 28th). Explore the open-world of Panau as Rico Rodriguez in Just Cause 2. Download and try out the demo from Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network, and you'll see it's a blast to play. Red Steel 2 re-imagines the first-person shooter and sword-fighting from the first game. The art direction has changed and the motion-gameplay is improved with the use of the Wii MotionPlus.

Nintendo's new super large DSi is out next week, the DSi XL, almost looking like a netbook rather than a portable gaming system. The Nintendo DSi XL features 93% bigger screens and will be available in Burgundy or Bronze at its Sunday launch in North America. Along with its release will be WarioWare DIY, where gamers can experiment in creating MicroGame$.

Make sure you check out some of the links below if you're pre-ordering, because you can save $10 to $15 on some games with the bonus deals. See the new releases for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, and DS below (PSP gamers are out of luck this week again)!

New videogame releases for week of March 22, 2010:
(subject to change)

Xbox 360
How to Train Your Dragon
Just Cause 2
MotoGP 09/10

PlayStation 3
How to Train Your Dragon
Just Cause 2
MotoGP 09/10

Wii
How to Train Your Dragon
Red Steel 2
Red Steel 2 w/ MotionPlus
Rooms: The Main Building

PC 
Just Cause 2
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
Zhu Zhu Pets

DS & DSi
Nintendo DSi XL Bronze (available March 28)
Nintendo DSi XL Burgundy (available March 28)

America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking (available March 28)
How to Train Your Dragon
Rooms: The Main Building
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
WarioWare: DIY (available March 28)
Zhu Zhu Pets: Special Edition with Baby Hamster 

PSP
no new releases

Write Comment (2 Comments)

The top games of 2009 have been selected by the British Academy Video Game Awards. Held today at the London Hilton, the GAME British Academy Video Game Awards ceremony honored some of the best games released in 2009.

You bet Uncharted 2: Among Thieves made another strong showing at the awards show, winning four BAFTAs, but it was great to see some other games getting recognition. Batman: Arkham Asylum won for Best Game, LittleBigPlanet PSP won for Best Handheld, Wii Sports Resort won for Family & Social, and FIFA 10 won for Use of Online. See the complete list of winners below.

Here are the winners of the 2010 BAFTAs for each category:

Best Game:
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Action:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Family & Social:
Wii Sports Resort

Use of Online:
FIFA 10

Use of Audio:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Handheld:
LittleBigPlanet PSP

GAME Award of 2009 (community choice):
Modern Warfare 2

Strategy:
Empire: Total War

Original Score:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Multiplayer:
Left 4 Dead 2

Gameplay:
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Sports:
FIFA 10

Story:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Ones to Watch Award:
(in association with Dare To Be Digital)
Shrunk!

Artistic Achievement:
Flower

Congratulations to the winners! Make sure you play the games if you've missed them last year. See the nominations for each category here at www.bafta.org. For more details on the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards, visit www.baftagameaward.com.

Write Comment (0 Comments)

BioWare has an update on several new downloadable content releases coming for Mass Effect 2. Looks like you're in for some more Mass Effect 2 action in the weeks ahead! Check out the details below from BioWare.

Alternate Appearance pack
Release date: March 23rd
Price: 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
See screenshot here.
Features new outfits for Garrus, Subject Zero, and Thane.

Firewalker pack
Release date: late March
Price: free with Cerberus Network access
See screenshots here.
"Download the Firewalker pack and gain access to 5 new missions featuring the Hammerhead. The Hammerhead is a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided missile system ensuring accuracy even during aggressive maneuvering. Coming late March, free to all Cerberus Network members!"

Kasumi - Stolen Memory DLC
Release date: early April
Price: TBA
See screenshots and details here.
"Cerberus has procured the service of Kasumi Goto, the galaxy's most enigmatic master thief. In return for her help, Kasumi has asked Shepard's help on a dangerous heist to infiltrate the vault of a deadly master criminal named Donovan Hock. Gain Kasumi's loyalty on the planet Bekenstein, where Hock is throwing a party for some of the galaxy's richest and most deranged criminal minds to recover data of great importance to Kasumi... and to the galaxy at large. Includes a new squad member, mission, weapon, research upgrade, casual outfit, and achievement."

Write Comment (0 Comments)

Electronic Arts, under the EA Comics label, and IDW Publishing have released the digital comic version of Dragon Age #1. Fans of the BioWare game, and recently released Dragon Age: Awakening expansion, can get more of the Dragon Age lore in the comic.

You can purchase Dragon Age #1 for $1.99, for the iPhone and iPod touch from the App Store or for the PSP and PSPgo from the PlayStation Store. The comic is based on the IDW Publishing 32-page print of Dragon Age #1.

About Dragon Age #1, from IDW Publishing:
"In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague man, elves and dwarves alike. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever."

Write Comment (0 Comments)

MTV Games and Harmonix have announced the Rock Band weekly releases for next week, and there are about 10 tracks in total. The band "X" will be making their Rock Band debut with a 4 track pack featuring songs such as "Blue Spark," "The Hungry Wolf," "I Must Not Thing Bad Thoughts," and "Los Angeles."

Other bands such as Little Fish, Carrie Underwood, and OneRepublic are also releasing some tracks next week. Also, the track "Am I Crazy?" will be available for free next week, so there really is no excuse to not check out the Rock Band Music Store!

Release dates:
Xbox 360, Wii - March 23rd
PlayStation 3 - March 25th

X Pack 01 - $6.99 (560 Microsoft Points) or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points/200 Wii Points) per track
"Blue Spark" by X
"The Hungry Wolf" by X
"I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" by X
"Los Angeles" by X

Single Tracks - $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points/200 Wii Points) per track
"Bang Bang" by Little Fish
"Darling Dear" by Little Fish
"Outer Space" by Ace Frehley
"All-American Girl" by Carrie Underwood
"Stop & Stare" by OneRepublic

Free track
"Am I Crazy?" by Little Fish

Write Comment (0 Comments)