Each week, Xbox Live offers and exclusive piece of content to Xbox Live Gold members. This week’s “Exclusive Gold Only Discout” item is Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale, a hack and slash action role playing game set in the deep mythology of the Forgotten Realms, is the first Dungeons & Dragons video game for connected consoles.  Players are summoned by a mysterious mage and given the duty of defending their homeland as Rezlus, an evil Zhentarim Cleric looks to bring the power of the Black Lord Bane to Daggerdale. Restore order to the Dalelands by unlocking the secrets of the Mines of Tethyamar, defeating the evil within the treacherous Tower of the Void, leading to the final confrontation with Rezlus himself.

Players can take on the role of the melee expert Human Fighter, the quick and nimble Elven Rogue, the master of the arcane arts Halfling Wizard, and the powerful divine Dwarven Cleric.  Gamers use intuitive pick-up-and-play combat combined with a wide assortment of weapons, feats and powers to defeat a wide range of deadly enemies. Players can level their character, unlocking three tiers of powers, and an extensive list of feats to create a truly unique character.  As the player levels, they can add additional attribute points to their ability scores, further enhancing the performance of the character. The action-packed RPG gameplay allows for solo and co-op play for up to four players.

 

Price: 1200 MSP / Gold Only Exclusive  600MSP

At first I thought the press release was a joke, but then I sadly discovered that it was not. A company has made a cover for your Kinect to block the cameras so it does not spy on you. Apparently it has been out since January and posted by a few big name websites and finally it has a press release. Their reasoning behind it? The fact that Microsoft themselves has stated how the device could be used to target advertising during a sporting event by determining which jersey you are wearing. Would Microsoft do this without your permission? Hell No! Would there be an update to Xbox Live’s Terms of Usage allowing them to do so? Maybe… Does this mean we need to go around covering our Kinects in case of an impossible hacker intrusion? No! It seems like snake oil to me, focusing on privacy concerns without really having anything other than pretentious hype to back it. Will it protect it from dust as the company Catalyst Components claims? Yes, but so would any type of cover and how do we protect our covers from dust? In fact, how do I play with the cover on? Oh yeah, I have to remove it and that is a physical action which could be the same as simply unplugging the Kinect if you have yours plugged in the front like mine.

Lets go over the specs here with my notes highlighted in red.
·        Provides and added layer of in-home security For a problem that doesn’t exist. Would you like my tiger deterring rock?
·        Designed specifically for Xbox 360 Kinect and Kinect for Windows Is there another type of Kinect?
·        Designed to obstruct Kinect’s camera view when not in use Technically if it is “not in use” then it isn’t on.
·        Ensures privacy and security against potential prying eyes For Xbox, Who? For Windows, treat it like a webcam. (Coming soon, webcam cover.)
·        Blocks LED and infrared light for home theater environments The green dot may be annoying, but I hate seeing INFRARED LIGHT.
·        Protects optical lenses from dust and debris So far the only plus.
·        Does NOT interfere with voice command or calibration I’m assuming it can’t interfere with calibration when I take it off for calibration.
·        Easily slips on and off Kinect Ok, you got me here.
·        Conforms to Kinect’s sleek black aesthetic And here.
·        Available at Best Buy, Microcenter, Target and Amazon.com Here too.
·        Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 Price drop from $15, wonder if it isn’t selling well…
·        Made in the USA Ok, now I want to buy it.

 

This website that I’ve never seen before, SaveOnBrew.com offers up advice on how to save money whilst drinking during this highly important national holiday known as Saint Patrick’s Day. Why do we celebrate with booze? Mike suggests that it is just an excuse to drink. He’s right, but it is also an excuse to get all stereotypical without being called a racist. That’s because Saint Patrick famously rid Ireland of snakes and the Irish like to drink,  so on Saint Patty’s day we drink to celebrate snake beatings. This is also a good time to drunkenly ask women if they’d like to beat your snake in honor of the day.

Here are Jennifer Davidson of SaveOnBrew.com’s tips:

1. Look for cheaper brands. “Imports by nature are not terribly cheap, but one can find a 6-pack of Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Aleor Killian’s Irish Red Ale for about $7, or Sam Adam’s Irish Ale and McSorley’s Irish Pale Ale for $8,” Davidson explains. “On the other end of the spectrum, premium beers like Guinness, Harp, Murphy’s and Smithwick’s are going to be priced several dollars higher.”

2. Another way to find the cheapest beer is to try one’s luck at getting into the spirit of the day. “Let’s face it: anyone who dresses like a leprechaun, a Notre Dame Fighting Irish, or a shamrock is going to have random strangers buying him or her beer all night long wherever he or she goes,” says Davidson. “The louder, friendlier and Irish-looking a drinker is, the better. Most importantly, do not pose for any free pictures. If they want a leprechaun on their Facebook page, they’ve got to pay up.”

3. Stay at home. “Yeah, I know I’m going to catch some flak for that, but it’s MUCH cheaper. Take the money you save, grab a keg of Guinness, invite your best friends and some random hotties, and make a night of it. Pro-tip: go heavy on the Irish car bombs – you know, Guinness with a shot of Jameson – because passing out is a great way to save money and avoid having to stumble to the store to resupply,” Davidson laughs.

Of course, I think the underlying message is that Davidson wants you to use SaveOnBrew.com to find cheap deals on beer in your area. So I took a little look and apparently I can get Hamm’s at a local store for $0.54 each aka $12.99 for a 12-pack. Hrmm, not a bad deal, except this is only an advertised price. SaveOnBrew.com has no way of knowing unadvertised prices and my friend tells me that he gets the 30-packs of a lesser quality brand for $13.99. Still, Hamm’s is not a bad option and neither is SaveOnBrew.com, except if you live in Minnesota like I do. You see, we have these weird liquor laws that prohibit grocery stores and gas stations from selling higher abv booze.  So when SaveOnBrew.com shows my favorite beer Killian’s advertised ad my local Cub grocery store as a 12-pack for $9.99, I need to keep in mind that it is only going to be the 3.2% abv stuff. All in all, it is nice to have a way to see advertised prices. By the way, my tip for using it is to keep withing the 5 mile range, other wise your might eat your beer savings up with gas.

 

Yesterday ZOTAC announced the info for their latest video card that makes use of the 560 SE hardware that Nvidia pushed out last month. ZOTAC’s goal is to give gamers a taste of 1080p, without breaking their gaming budget. The 560 SE is the GF114 that Nvidia announced as having 2 SM cores disabled. I liken this to the Celeron CPU chips which come with less on-board cache due to being disabled due to bad performance. Either way, ZOTAC has found a use for the hardware, and that is a card that is still able to churn through DirectX 11 titles. Marketing director Carsten Berger explains, “1080p resolution displays and Microsoft® DirectX® 11-enabled titles are affordable and become quite popular among gamers. Our new ZOTAC® GeForce® GTX 560 SE provides an excellent value for gamers that want to get their feet wet with 1080p and DirectX® 11 gaming,”

Specifications:

•  Product Name ZOTAC® GeForce® GTX 560 SE
• GPU NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 SE
• Engine Clock speed 746 MHz
• Unified Shaders 288
• Shader Clock 1492 MHz
• Memory Clock speed 3828 MHz
• Memory 1GB GDDR5
• Memory interface 192-bit
• Display Outputs Dual DVI, HDMI & DisplayPort
• HDCP Yes
• Cooling With fan (dual-slot)
• DirectX^® version DirectX^® 11 with Shader Model 5.0
• Other hardware features Hardware accelerated Blu-ray 3D ready
• Software Features Hardware Video Decode Acceleration Technology, NVIDIA^® CUDA^™ technology, OpenGL^® 4.2
• Windows 7 capability Windows® 7 with DirectCompute support

No mention of pricing and availability, save for the fact that Nvidia is rumored to be setting their 560 SE cards at about $150. Oh, and it comes with a TrackMania 2 Canyon 3-Day Game Pass, but I’m unsure how enticing that is supposed to be.

Many of us clamored over the beta sign up from a few weeks ago, in fact over 1,000,000 people signed up in just the 48 hours that it was open. A thank you e-mail went out yesterday to those that did sign up, along with a video I will post below from Facebook giving us a sneak peak, you know, in case we aren’t selected for the beta. However, you can guarantee your entrance into the beta by just pre-ordering the game. That’s right, “From 10th April, players who pre-purchase the Guild Wars 2 Collector’s, Digital Deluxe or Standard Editions will receive guaranteed entry into all beta weekend events and a three-day head start prior to launch, giving them the opportunity to be among the first to secure their character and guild names. As a bonus, players who pre-purchase any edition will also receive an exclusive Hero’s Band, which will provide their characters with a variety of stat enhancements as they venture into the world of Tyria in Guild Wars 2.”

As if that were enough, you can get a ton of cool shit if you go for the collector’s edition. “The centrepiece of the Collector’s Edition is a detailed, hand-painted 25 centimetre statue of the bestial warrior Rytlock Brimstone wielding his signature flaming sword. Along with the Rytlock statue, players will receive a custom frame with five stunning Guild Wars 2 art prints from world-renowned artists, a 112-page Making of Guild Wars 2 hardback book, a Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD by award-winning composer Jeremy Soule and five in-game items, including a Mistfire Wolf that will fight alongside players and a miniature Rytlock who will accompany them on their travels through Tyria.”

Meanwhile, sit back and wait for the announcement that you did or did not get into the beta, view the video below from developer Colin Johanson. Basically he is letting you down early, just like many, many women in our lives.

Of course, you can always pre-order or whatever, but keep an eye on www.GuildWars2.com.

I don’t mean to be one of those press release re-posters, but there isn’t much info to go on to form a nice article for you.

“Tyria needs play testers!
Sign up now for a chance to participate in one of the upcoming Guild Wars 2 beta events. Beta Signup is only open for 48 hours so players need to act quickly to obtain a place. Beta sign up closes at 18.00 GMT Friday 24 February.

To sign up or learn more, visit the Guild Wars 2 Beta Page at https://beta.guildwars2.com/.”

The site is getting HAMMERED! GO NOW!

If you’ve ever wanted to feel the element of RPG slightly more in a pinball game than you do in other fantasy styled pinball tables, then this week’s release of Zen Studios’ Epic Quest table is right up your alley. Zen has been thinking about this and working on it for some time now, and finally it is released to the masses for their enjoyment. “How”, you ask, “How can they fit RPG into a pinball table?” Well it is simply. You see, Officer Pinball was driving his police car and ran over a nerd with a pen and paper game under his arm… Ok that is just a bad joke. Seriously though, let me walk you through the game and show off the RPGness of it all.

Your player character is already chosen for you and given the name Max. Sorry, they had to make it the same but if you try really hard you can pretend you are special and the only Max in the world. While Max is trying to heroically fight evil and monsters, he also wants to find gold and loot while doing so. Zen Studios pushed hard on character development to really bring Max to life for the player. His heroism is epic, but so is his comedic posture and language. The development team hopes to hit a vein with those who enjoy other comedic parodies, such as Monty Python’s Holy Grail. I find the comedy light and playful and not as dirty as say, Medieval Madness.

Let me walk you through the table, and while you read me explaining I hope you follow along with the numbered picture above (open in another window, it is very large) so as not to confuse you so much. Start with the plunger at 1 trying to make the skill shot in the middle stall in the barn at 2. You’ll need to depress the plunger so that the ogre’s teeth are barely covered and you’ll have to practice this quite a bit. Even after playing for 4 days, I still can only make this half of the time. If you make the shot you will travel down the wire slot, or if you make another stall you will enter the playing field as well. If you over shoot, you’ll have your chance to enter the orcanium at 4 with the flipper at 3. (I like to remember it as the response to the statement, “I can do magic, Or can I? UM”) You can also get back up to the flipper at 3 by taking a ride on the waterwheel at 5. If you miss all of that and then miss your regular flippers and still have the quest again light, the ball will launch itself and be grabbed by the plant at 6 and then spit onto the field. This is probably so you don’t get bonuses on a play again launch. You can encounter your battles by getting into the orcanium(4) or if I remember correctly, entering the forest(7) enough by taking the loop at 6 or just a too soft of orbital loop around the outside where it drops in. Also sometimes the ball launcher at 8 will spit you there as well. Then it will spit you back on the field towards the flippers or sometimes over the smash target(9) and by Max. During battles, you can dodge an attack by taking the outside loop, you can add time until you are attacked by hitting bumpers such as the ones in the forest(7), or you can hit the smash target(9) for a big attack. Normal attacks are at the sword ramp(11) and the shield ramp(10) will defend yourself. You can also go into the orcanium to cast spells if you have been in there before and collecting them. Entering the orcanium(4) with a battle either gives you one or a spell it seems. In the orcanium(4) you use the right flipper to push 4 wood plungers out to knock the ball into holes. Going there during battle without a spell will still let you push the ball in for extra points. After a battle, you can sometimes find loot in the orbital loop, or sometimes hitting the ball launcher at 8 seems to let you “purchase” new armors and whatnot. The yellow items are regular, blues are rare, and purples are EPIC! Hidden at 12 you will find a healer, in case you take too much damage. This is in case you health(14) is low and you need more time to take your opponents health(15) down.  After heavy battles, the princess(13) might reward you. Take the shield ramp(10) and the tube will take you to her. Use your flippers to select when to drop the ball onto her dressy roulette wheel. The best part of all of this is that the items you end up finding stay with Max every time you play. You’ll level up with the XP bar(16) and it controls several things in the game such as:

• Hit Point base (HP) which includes damage base and the opposing monster’s hit point and
• damage base
• The value of loot (the score you get when you sell an unused item)
• The possibility of encountering a monster with elemental resistance / weaknesses
• The possibility of finding an epic item
• The knight’s rank
• o Progression: Minor Knight → Knight → High Knight → Champion → Monster Hunter →
• Golden Knight → Arch Knight → Veteran Looter → Epic Hero
• The Jackpot value of the Princess Multiball
• The ball out bonus (XP bonus)
• The XP required for the next level

Ok, now you should know how to play the game. I know that sometimes it is hard to catch on to how irregular pinball games are played, so I hope you feel clued in on what this table is about. Zen Studios really did their best to create a new type of pinball game without leaving the pinball purists behind. I think this table is quite challenging and believe me when I say I did not spoil it for you in the least in this review. There is much, much more for you to discover on your own. In fact, you’ll discover how hard it is to hit the sword ramp and smash target. Well, I had difficulty in doing so at least. I played a local hotseat with my wife and I think she has taken down more enemies than I have. In fact, if multiplayer would keep a high score, she would own me on this game. Meanwhile, the playful wording of Max’s lines and the excellent uniqueness of the art distract me from these challenges and my shortcomings. Truly this table is Epic!

Epic Quest, is now available for download for Pinball FX2 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for 240 MSP, Zen Pinball on PlayStation®Network for $2.49, Apple App®Store and Android Marketplace™ for $0.99.

Starting today you’ll be able to get your fix of nutty and batty gaming.  Today Gotham City Impostors is live for both Xbox Live and PSN following yesterdays release on the PC market. Gotham City Impostors allows average everyday citizens the chance to step up and fill the shoes of the local vigilante or villain. I’m not quite sure what happened to Batman or Joker, perhaps they are locked in battle somewhere. What I do know is that Gotham is free for the taking, for both sides. Whether you are playing as one of the Bats or one of the Jokerz, you’ll employ an unusual arsenal of weapons and devices to help your team control the game map.

If you hadn’t had a chance to get in on beta game-play, here is what you can be expecting. You’ll have your choice of guns, no need to be ethical here or you’ll be shot. While Batman and Joker usually have their own cash flow that provides them with tools and toys, you’ll have to make due with whatever you have. You can grapple your way across the map, roller-blade, or even hang glide. You’d better watch out for bear traps or other cleverly placed devices and don’t be surprised by a pipe bomb or two. This isn’t just all out death-match either. You’ll have to play nicely with your team and help capture objectives. Either you’ll be going after gas points that will eventually spew forth delicious death to your enemies, or transport a battery to a demoralizing device. Of course, be sure to kill everyone you meet in between those spots. Although there is no singing, this is still the most epic battle I’ve seen since the Sharks and Jets. It should run you about $15, I don’t know if anyone needs to hear about MSP anymore though.

Reverb Publishing has picked up Swedish based developer Coffee Stain Studios to publish the sequel to their first title, Sanctum. Reverb just struck it big by publishing the wildly popular Dungeon Defenders title virtually available on all formats. If you’re wondering what this means for Sanctum 2, it means that it too will be hitting consoles as well as the pc.  Sanctum itself sold over 300,000 copies just on Steam alone, so the spread of the formats bodes well for the studio.

Reverb Publishing (also known as Reverb Communications the popular PR company) is also fairly excited about the transition for the title. “We’re always searching for great games from passionate developers, particularly studios that have innovative ideas that get us excited to play them,” said Ted Lange, executive producer, Reverb Publishing. “Sanctum has been a huge success on Steam for Coffee Stain Studios, and bringing the next version to console players as well as the PC market is a great next step to share this unique experience. We all have logged quite a few hours with Sanctum and can definitively say that what Coffee Stain has in store for Sanctum 2 will blow the minds of Sanctum fans and new gamers alike.”

Coffee Stain Studios seems fairly excited about the deal as well. “With their combined public relations, marketing, sales and business development experience, Reverb Publishing has more than enough chops for us to be honored that they are publishing Sanctum 2,” said Anton Westbergh, producer and CEO for Coffee Stain Studios. “Reverb’s unique publishing model allowing us as the developer to fully retain our IP and keep the lion’s share of the revenue from the game made it a no-brainer. Their success with Dungeon Defenders proves they know how to take a digital title to market and make it a winner, and we can’t wait to see what they can do with Sanctum 2.”

I, for one, am excited to see how Reverb’s unique publishing model, which supports their developers, helps Coffee Stain Studios produce an even better version of their already popular game. The original already proved the effectiveness of a first person tower defense shooter and I cannot wait to see what is next. To learn more about Sanctum and whether or not you should be excited for a sequel, please read my review or play the game.

A week or two ago, I was browsing Reddit and came across a post from a developer who had some leftover codes for a game he had made with his friends. He was nice enough to pass a code to me as well as a few others. Feeling that no good deed deserves to go unnoticed, I felt that this game needed some light shone upon it. Behold to thy open eyes Cavemen VS Aliens.

Now before you get all gun ho on me, I don’t want you thinking of Cowboys & Aliens as that is a movie, has different letters in the title and was a complete waste of Daniel Craig’s talent. No, Cavemen VS Aliens is a simplistic RTS from the Xbox Live Indie Game section developed by WeAreColin. In the midst of working and being sick, I finally had a chance to play a few levels. Gameplay is broken down to this. There are four Pterodactyls. One carries cavemen to spots,One takes them back, one supplies them with rock and one with health. Each has a cool down time, so sometimes it is strategic to move men if you can’t heal them. You have to bring them to different zones to help capture the territory or defend it. Hold enough territory for a certain amount of time or kill all the attacking aliens and you win the round. Do I need to tell you that the aliens are bad and want turn the planet into a giant communication repeater that would kill all life? NO? Good!

Now I know what you are thinking, that this incredibly well drawn game sounds just too easy. Well I tell you that it is not and that I certainly struggled. As of right now, I have not made it very far at all, having only conquered the first three levels. My mission right now is to attack more points and, I think, leave the forest area. There are a few other types of environments and supposedly they affect gameplay, but I cannot tell you how yet. You see, even though I have a super powered caveman named Colin (the chief’s top hunter son who you can’t let die) I still seem to be overpowered. I haven’t figured out how many cavemen I need to placed in the zones before I attempt to take them over. Hopefully you do better. At least while doing so I am not looking at some horrendous art or listening to crappy music. No my friends, WeAreColin does not make you suffer visually or auditory.

So if you are thinking you want to pick this game up with a Pterodactyl of your own, swing by the Xbox Live Indie section and snag it for a $1 (80Msp if they haven’t changed the currency yet.) I found it fun and will continue to work towards redemption of my failure to complete it. Also, I’ve got my eye on the developer that dropped the loot in Reddit. He stated that besides being busy working on 100 player crowd games, he was about to release something for WP7. Ooh, mysterious.