Arkham Asylum gets some red hot DLC action!

Readers of this blog may be aware that I am a huge fan of the recent Batman game. If you've yet to play the game the I strongly recommend you download the demo and if you've already done that, then buy the game already!
(For more info about the game, check out my review of Batman: Arkham Asylum)

Along with an amazing story the game also offers an addition "Challenge" mode in which Batman (and Armoured Suit Batman after completing the game) get to fight off hordes of foes and silently take down enemies in a handful of challenges.

Within the first week of the game's release, we lucky PS3 owners got our hands on B:AA first DLC- playable Joker content. This opens up a few Challenges that can be played as the Joker.

Recently there have been a few more nuggets of free DLC on the PlayStation Store- more challenges for Batman and Armoured Batman. (Sadly no more levels have been released for Joker, but it's early days yet).

I recently played through all 4 of the new challenges and thought they are definitely worth getting- especially since they're free! The most interesting of the 4 challenges is a new Survival Mode in which you get to fight off an infinite number of bad guys. This is a nice touch to the game, as I always felt that this was one challenge that the game was definitely needing.

The fact that 4 new challenges have been released so quickly can only mean good things for the future of the game. Fingers crossed that the next batch of updates include more Joker content.

-- BIZNITCH --

Waiting For Your MAG Beta Code??

If like me you signed up to the MAG Beta competition last week and have yet to receive your code, tomorrow should be the day the rest of us receive our codes.

Shijima European SOCOM & MAG Franchise Producer posted the below message in response to a lot of unhappy people over at the EU Forum who did not receive beta codes yesterday and signed up way before many of the people who did receive codes.

Sorry you haven't had any news so far today but I genuinely had nothing to tell you ... until now! I won't go into details about what went wrong with the process because that doesn't help anyone, but suffice it to say we have learned from this experience and so shouldn't encounter the same problem again (at least, not on my projects).

I realise those people who registered earliest deserved their codes first according to the wording of the competition, so I can only apologise unreservedly for disappointing you and letting you down. Contrary to what some people might think, Sony do care about their community and as a face for Sony on these forums, I make it my job to do my best to help you guys.

Anyway, enough waffle and onto the good news... I can confirm (according to the Ops team) that everyone in all regions who registered but never received their code will be sent one over the course of tomorrow, probably by 2-3pm UK time. Furthermore, in an effort to try and do a Quantum Leap ("put right what once went wrong"), we will be sending out codes to the remaining 20,000-odd people who registered. So, if you managed to register on the site before the competition closed, I am told that you WILL get your code tomorrow (barring any network, ISP or email bounce problems that are beyond our control).

For those of you who missed the registration period, I believe the Community Admins are planning a mini giveaway for each region to give people an extra chance. I'll leave it to them to post more info when they're ready though (probably later this week).

Again, sorry for the balls-up but I hope this goes some way towards making amends.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

Shijima

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Roster

Last night GameSpot revealed the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 lineup to the world. If you missed the live show, featuring The Miz, WWE Diva Eve and The Fink you can watch it here.

Check out the roster below, and make sure you head over to the official site - smackdownvsraw.com - tonight for renders and bios of the WWE Superstars featured in the game.

Or click here for the renders now

Here's the roster...

Pre-Order Only

Stone Cold (pre-order only, Game.co.uk in the UK)
The Rock (pre-order only, Play.com in the UK)

SmackDown

Batista
Chris Jericho
CM Punk
Dolph Ziggler
Edge
Eve Torres
Finlay
Jeff Hardy
Jesse
John Morrison
JTG
Kane
Maria
Matt Hardy
Melina
Michelle McCool
Mike Knox
Natalya
Rey Mysterio
R-Truth
Shad
The Brian Kendrick
The Great Khali
The Undertaker
Umaga

RAW

Big Show
Beth Phoenix
Carlito
Chavo Guerrero
Cody Rhodes
Evan Bourne
Festus
Gail Kim
Jack Swagger
JBL
John Cena
Kelly Kelly
Kofi Kingston
Mark Henry
Maryse
Mickie James
Mr. Kennedy
MVP
Primo
Randy Orton
Santino
Shawn Michaels
Ted DiBiase
The Miz
Triple H

ECW

Brie Bella
Christain
Ezekeil Jacksoon
Goldust
Nikki Bella
Shelton Benjamin
Tommy Dreamer
Vladimir Kozlov
William Regal

FIFA 10 Trophies

Bronze

Shooting Boots
Score 5 goals in 1 Arena kick-about

Off the Woodwork
Score off the post or cross bar in a match

Camera Man
Upload a video to EA SPORTS™ Football World

Hard Earned Win
Beat a 5 Star team with a ½ Star team Online or when playing Professional difficulty or higher

Grind it Out
Win a match with 10 men Online or when playing on Professional difficulty or higher

Cup Upset
Win a 16 team Tournament with a 1 Star team when playing on Professional difficulty or higher

Wheeler Dealer
Buy 50 players in your Manager Mode career

Good Friend
Create a goal for a Friend with a cross

Well Travelled
Win a match in every stadium

Total Control
Win a match with fully manual settings (no assistancecan be switched on)

Top of the League?
Win a match in a Friends League

Photographer
Upload a Screenshot to EA SPORTS™ Football World

Lounging Around
Score 2500 points and win 5 Badges in a single Lounge Mode match

A Star Is Born
Create a Virtual Pro

Around The World
Play a match with a team from every league

Underdog
Win an Online Head to Head Ranked match using a weaker team than your opponent

Experimental
Play 5 consecutive Online Head to Head Ranked matches using a different team

Looking Good
Download your Game Face from EA SPORTS™ Football World

Recognise Anyone?
Download your Club member Game Faces from EA SPORTS™ Football World

Window shopping
Visit the FIFA 10 Store

Theatre of Dreams
Upgrade your Stadium Manager to Level 10

Phoenix from the Ashes
Make a 5 Star team out of a 2 Star team or lower within 5 seasons in Manager Mode

Good Form
Play 5 consecutive Online Head to Head Ranked matches without losing

Practice Makes Perfect
Work on your skills in Practice mode

Silver

Challenging Schedule
Complete a Manager Mode Season without simming a game

Real Fan
Play for over fifty hours

Always Available
Complete a season in Be A Pro: Seasons without simming a game

Team Player
Play a Pro Club Championship match as a full team (10 players)

Skilled Pro
Unlock 100 EA SPORTS™ Football World Accomplishments with your Virtual Pro

Double Champs
Win consecutive League titles in any top tier League in Manager Mode

Climbing the Ladder
Win consecutive promotions with the same Club in Manager Mode

No Pressure
Achieve 100% Board Confidence at any Club in Manager Mode

Globetrotter
Win titles in all 5 major European Leagues (England, France, Italy, Germany & Spain)

Limited Resources
Win a League or Cup in Manager Mode with a 1 Star team or lower

Gold

Ton up
Win 100 Online Classic Ranked Matches

The Treble
Win 3 trophies in 1 Manager Mode Season

Established
Become a 5 Star Manager

Platinum

Football Legend
Unlock all other trophies (excluding additional content trophies)

Along with these, there are 4 secret trophies, amounting to a total of 42 trophies.

SKATE 3 Confirmed, May 2010

It's official- Skate 3 will be on the shelves by MAY 2010. Great news for all Skate fans, but it does beg the question: Why are they releasing so many Skate titles in so little time? Of course the answer is for the money, obviously, but I'm still having fun with Skate 2.

Personally I think that they should work on some more DLC. It couldn't be that hard to make updates to add more tricks into the game, an option to buy more levels or open up new sections of the map or even make new multiplayer modes- a free roam split-screen would suit me just fine.

(This was a bugger to get a hold of, as the official UK site for SKATE still hasn't been updated, and the American one just re-directs you back to the UK...)

But all this said, I will probably buy this title straight off. As much as I'd prefer DLC, there are some major flaws on Skate 2 that could be fixed or improved- namely the crappy physics when you're off your board...

--BIZNITCH--

Just Cause 2 Dev Diary

After watching the video I can't help but think Just Cause 2 looks like a cross between Spider-man, Bionic Commando and Mercenaries which is no bad thing. The graphics look great for a sandbox style game with lots of detail when it comes to clouds and the tree rich mountains. Hopefully the gameplay will be just as good as the graphics, with more variation when it comes to the missions over the first just cause.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Trophy List

Platinum - Platinum (Platinum)
First Treasure - Find one trasure (Bronze)
Apprentice Fortune Hunter - Fid ten treasures (Bronze)
Novice Fortune Hunter - Find 20 treasures (Bronze)
Cadet Fortune Hunter - Find 30 treasures (Bronze)
Intermediate Fortune Hunter - Find 40 treasures (Bronze)
Practiced Fortune Hunter - Find 50 treasures (Bronze)
Proficient Fortune Hunter - Find 60 treasures (Bronze)
Professional Fortune Hunter - Find 70 treasures (Bronze)
Expert Fortune Hunter - Find 80 treasures (Bronze)
Crack Fortune Hunter - Find 90 treasures (Bronze)
Master Fortune Hunter - Find all 100 treasures (Silver)
Relic Finder - Find the Strange Relic (Bronze)
Survivor - Defeat 75 enemies in a row without dying (Silver)
20 Headshots - Defeat 20 enemies with headshots (Bronze)
100 Headshots - Defeat 100 enemies with headshots (Bronze)
250 Headshots - Defeat 250 enemies with headshots (Silver)
Headshot Expert - Defeat five enemies in a row with headshots (Bronze)
Run-and-Gunner - Defeat 20 enemies by shooting from the hip (without aiming with L1) (Bronze)
Hangman - Defeat 20 enemies with gunfire by aiming while hanging (Bronze)
50 Kills: 92FS - 9mm - Defeat 50 enemies with the 92FS - 9mm (Bronze)
50 Kills: Micro - 9mm - Defeat 50 enemies with the Micro - 9mm (Bronze)
30 Kills: Wes - 44 - Defeat 30 enemies with the Wes - 44 (Bronze)
30 Kills: Desert - 5 - Defeat 30 enemies with the Desert - 5 (Bronze)
20 Kills: Pistole - Defeat 20 enemies with the Pistole (Bronze)
70 Kills: FAL - Defeat 70 enemies with the FAL (Bronze)
70 Kills: M4 - Defeat 70 enemies with the M4 (Bronze)
50 Kills: Dragon Sniper - Defeat 50 enemies with the Dragon Sniper (Bronze)
30 Kills: Moss - 12 - Defeat 30 enemies with the Moss - 12 (Bronze)
70 Kills: SAS - 12 - Defeat 70 enemies with the SAS - 12 (Bronze)
50 Kills: M32 - Hammer - Defeat 50 enemies with the M32 - Hammer (Bronze)
30 Kills: RPG - 7 - Defeat 30 enemies with the RPG - 7 (Bronze)
200 Kills: GAU - 19 - Defeat 200 enemies with the GAU - 19 (Bronze)
30 Kills: Mk-NDI - Defeat 30 enemies with the Mk-NDI (Bronze)
Triple Dyno-Might - Defeat three enemies with one explosion (Bronze)
Granade Hangman - Defeat ten enemies with granades by aiming while hanging (Bronze)
Bare-knuckle Brawler - Defeat 20 enemies with hand-to-hand combat (Bronze)
Bare-knuckle Slugger - Defeat 50 enemies with hand-to-hand combat (Silver)
Bare-knuckle Expert - Defeat ten enemies in a row with hand-to-hand combat (Silver)
Master Ninja - Defeat 50 enemies with stealth attacks (Silver)
Steel Fist Master - Defeat 20 enemies with a single punch, after softening them up with gunfire (Bronze)
Steel Fist Expert - Defeat ten enemies in a row with a single punch, after softening them up with gunfire (Silver)
Charted - Easy - Finish the game in Easy Mode (Silver)
Charted - Normal - Finish the game in Normal Mode (Gold)
Charted - Hard - Finish the game in Hard Mode (Gold)
Charted - Crushing - Finish the game in Crushing Mode (Gold)
Thrillseeker - Complete one Competitive Multiplayer game (Bronze)
Buddy System - Complete one Cooperative Multiplayer game (Bronze)