You GTA fans out there should be happy.. I’ve never got into the GTA thing myself… but the new games are out:
Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony Now Available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City Now Available at Retail Stores Everywhere
Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is now available for download exclusively from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and at retail stores everywhere as part of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For the first time ever, players are invited to experience The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, two complete games, together on a single disc as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City. The disc-based offering does not require Internet connectivity or a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV.
There’sbeenplenty of GTA videos to go around as of late, but this is only the 2nd official trailer. After watching, you’ll be sure to start counting down the days to October 29th, when the title releases at both on Marketplace and at retail.
With the release of Episodes from Liberty City coming quickly, Rockstar has been pumping out a lot of video content as of late.
Shown below is a new character clip for Henrique Bardas and Armando Torres, two long-time friends of Luis Lopez, the main protagonist in The Ballad of Gay Tony.
A Weazel News Special Report: Arms Smugglers Bring New Wave of Weaponry to Liberty City In this Weazel news exclusive, Weazel’s crack team of investigative reporters and former lobbyists cut through the filter of the mainstream media to find the paranoia behind the truth to a recent string of attacks in Liberty City, which has forced the LCPD into an escalating arms race. Our Weazel News expert demonstrates these fearsome new weapons including sticky bombs, advanced sniper rifles, automatic shotguns and exploding bullets; while recently discovered footage from a Liberty City tourist appears to show a rocket-equipped military grade helicopter known only as ‘The Buzzard’ wreaking havoc in Liberty City airspace.
As Luis Lopez, experience the over-the-top nature of life at the heart of Liberty City—guns, glitz, and glamour pepper the experience as you climb the social ladder and find that the more money is involved, the more complicated everything becomes. The Ballad of Gay Tony sends off Liberty City in grand fashion, granting you access to the most over-the-top weapons and toys to cause mayhem for those bold enough to stand in your way.
The upcoming DLC for GTA IV by Rockstar, The Ballad of Gay Tony, will be releasing its first trailer this Tuesday. While the actual expansion release isn’t due out till October 29th, we will probably be seeing more screenshots and clips as we near the launch date. Expect the DLC to sell at a perfectly reasonable 1600 MS points ($20).
For all Xbox Live Gold members you can pick up GTA IV: Lost and Damned add on for 1200 points (25% off) on Xbox Live.
Not a whole lot of action on the circulars this week. The best deal out there is Batman Arkham Asylum at Toys-R-Us for $59.99 with a $20 gift card back. And if you are a rewards member you can get a $30 gift card back if you buy it Tuesday the 25th between 10am and 2pm.
Rockstar announced this back in May, but just now have they put a date on it. For those who forgot, this will be a new add on pack for GTA IV. “The Ballad of Gay Tony” joins “The Lost and the Damned” as the second expansion pack for the ever-popular franchise. Also releasing then will be GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City, a retail pack with both DLCs on it. This retail disk will not require the GTA IV game disk to play. Both will be launching on the 29th of October. The DLC alone will run you 1600 MS Points and the compilation disk will be $39.99 on store shelves nationwide.
Rockstar Games has finally released information on their second DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV, “The Ballad of Gay Tony.” To be released later this fall for 1600 MS Points ($20) as an add-on content pack, this is new content separate from The Lost and the Damned and the original GTA IV story line. See the full press release after the break.
We’ll be online for an official Xbox community playdate on Wednesday, March 24, starting at 8:00 P.M. ET (5:00 P.M. PT) playing Modern Warfare 2. If you're a Gold Member, send a friend request to one of these gamertags, and we’ll add you to the list! (You’ll also get a friend request from Xbox 360 Digest confirming your interest.) Pkort BillyK128 FlashAK TNT82 Teh Emo Penguin RZAN0L0GY Zayden1620 ...
Review: Greed Corp
The Digest: A unique turn-based strategy game that will either thrill you to the core or make you want to jam freshly-sharpened pencils in your eyes. To put it right out there - Greed Corp is not a game for those new to the strategy genre. While the premise of the game is rather simple, it has many elements that will drive an unseasoned TPS player to madness without a lot of hesitation.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2010
PUBLISHER: Xbox LIVE Arcade
DEVELOPER: Valcon Games LLC / W!Games
ESRB RATING: “E” for Everyone
GENRE: Strategy & Simulation
PRICE: 800 MS Points ($10)
Insane Mass Effect 2 Class Guide
The recommendations in this guide are geared toward the Hardcore/Insanity difficulty. Since almost all enemies have an extra layer of protection or two (Armor/Barrier/Shield), this takes into account which combinations are most effective at stripping away an enemies defense. On the lower level difficulties, where you don’t need to worry about extra defensive layers, then feel free investing points into other abilities such as Pull, Throw, Cryo Blast, etc. When you mainly only need to take into account enemy health, then that’s where classes such as the Adept and Vanguard, shine.
Review: Bioshock 2
The Digest: 2K Marin dives back into the depths of Rapture to experience life like never before, as a Big Daddy. As a giant walking through the depths of the unknown, 2K Marin and Digital Extremes deliver all of the excitement from the original game, while improving it, and add a great multiplayer that will be sure to keep you playing this game for months.
The Fact Sheet
RELEASE DATE: February 9, 2010
PUBLISHER: 2K Games
DEVELOPER: 2K Marin, 2K Australia, Digital Extremes, and 2K China
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature
GENRE: Shooter
Review: Bayonetta
The Digest: Somewhere in some secret lab, someone decided to combine the DNA of Dante from Devil May Cry, Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden and Kratos from God of War. The result had to be the creation of one bad ass... Witch. I wouldn’t normally picture a witch carrying guns, but carrying guns on her boots? Yeah, only a witch could pull something like that off.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2010
PUBLISHER: Sega
DEVELOPER: Platinum Games
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature
GENRE: Action
Bioshock 2 Collector’s Edition Review
The Digest: I'd like to note right away that I won't be talking about the game at all in this review - one of our other team members is taking care of that soon. This review is specifically about the contents of the Collector's Edition set for Bioshock 2 and whether or not it justifies the additional $40 price tag.
In short, the answer is yes. Read on to find out what all it includes, how it is packaged and see photos of the items. This isn't your normal junky bunch of plastic action figures and gimmick items, ...
Indie Review: Creed Arena
The Digest: Like all Indie games, Creed Arena uses a basic premise for the game. This works well as the focus is solely on game play. The dual shooter views come in handy, but they usually cater to the particular weapon you’re wielding. While it is a solid first attempt by developer Safari Studios, there are certainly improvements to be made.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: January 1st, 2010
DEVELOPER: Safari Studios
Platform: Xbox LIVE® Indie Games
GENRE: Shooter
PRICE: 400 MS Points
Review: Mass Effect 2
The Digest: Mass Effect 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece. The days of Square Enix ruling this market are long gone as BioWare continues to set the standard for future RPG’s. Improving upon all facets, while fixing many of the problems that plagued the first, the second chapter is leaps and bounds ahead. Using a combat heavy focus with a plethora of new weapons and powers, I can safely move this into one of my all time favorite games. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: January 26th, 2010 PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts ...
Review: Konnet Power Pyramid (Controller Charging Station)
Hello All! Today I’ve got another Xbox360 accessory review for you, this one though is for your controllers. Buying the charge and play kits can be expensive, and it’s cheaper to just buy a battery by itself as we know. The problem here is that you’ll need at least one charging cable, and then if you’ve got four controllers you have to share that cable with all of them so charging can take quite a while. Konnet has sent me over the Power Pyramid Xbox360 Controller Charging Station for review today. The Power ...
Review: Alien Breed Evolution (Episode 1)
The Digest: Famously known for their Worms franchise, developer Team 17 has gone back to their roots. This remake of the Amiga classic does what the title suggests. While improving upon the originals top-down view with an isometric camera angle and improved graphics and sound, Alien Breed Evolution will have you wishing Ripley was right by your side.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: December 16th, 2009
PUBLISHER: Team 17
DEVELOPER: Team 17
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
GENRE: Action
PRICE: $10 (800MSP)
Most Anticipated in 2010
With 2009 having wrapped up a strong year in gaming, you can expect more of the same in the next 12 months. While there are a plethora of other games that will garner plenty of attention and praise, here’s a list of what we here at Xbox 360 Digest are most excited for.
In chronological order of release date (Confirmed & Expected), hit the jump to see the list.
Review: Xbox 360 Starter Pack
Most of the reviews we’ve done here are games, but I think it’s time we got started with some accessory reviews as well. MobileFun is a company based out of the UK and they carry mobile stuff like phones and accessories. They also carry game related products so they sent me over a nice little, inexpensive starter kit for the Xbox360 for review. It’s aptly named the Xbox 360 Starter Pack and it includes a nice long HDMI cable, full sized headset and a remote that is similar to the Xbox one but only smaller. The price is about $30, ...
Review: Assassin’s Creed II
The Digest: Assassin's Creed II creates a phenomenal sequel, while incorporating the most lethal Italian on this side of the Mushroom Kingdom. The improvements made to the formula established in the first Assassin’s Creed are what will fans of the series playing while bringing new fans into the fold. Now, me writing this review and you reading this review is robbing us of some valuable AC2 time!!
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: November 17th, 2009
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature
GENRE: Action
PRICE: $59.99
Review: Borderlands
The Digest: Borderlands has to be one of, if not THE sleeper game of the year. If you’re not prepared, you’ll see the wrong game coming. This is a game that I felt took inspiration from the original Xbox title Deus EX with its brand of RPG/FPS gameplay or as those in the “know” call it, RPS (Role Playing Shooter). I’m not in the “know”, but it says it on the back of the box.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: October 20th, 2009
PUBLISHER: 2K Games
DEVELOPER: Gearbox Software
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature
GENRE: RPS (Role Playing Shooter)
PRICE: $59.99
Review: Forza Motorsport 3
The Digest:
After much hype and promise, the Microsoft gem, Forza, has returned for another generation of simulation goodness. Turn 10 has been hitting hard from the very first Forza, and with this latest release, I can assure you that they’re not showing any signs of slowing down.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2009
PUBLISHER: Microsoft Game Studios
DEVELOPER: Turn 10 Studios
ESRB RATING: “E” for Everyone
GENRE: Racing
PRICE: $59.99
PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Review: Left 4 Dead 2
The Digest: Alright, fine... I'll put down my controller long enough to type a review...
Today was a prevalent day for Xbox 360 owners, showing us the release of two heavy-hitting sequels. Assassin's Creed 2 was launched, the follow up to the ever-popular and ever-repetitive Crusade action game. Hopes were high that the sequel would retain the joyous elements of the first title, while fixing the things that made it a tedious punch in the face after a few hours.
But alas, I am poor, so I am only here to comment about the other big-time release for today: Left ...
Review: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
The Digest: Another amazing performance from Rockstar. Grand Theft Auto as usual, with a brand new storyline, weapons and vehicles all set in the massive, detailed Liberty City. For the $39.99 price tag, definitely a must-buy.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2009
PUBLISHER: Rockstar
DEVELOPER: Rockstar
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature 17+
GENRE: Action
PRICE: $39.99
PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Review: NBA 2K10
The Lowdown: The King is back. Several new layers of realism have been added to create the best basketball experience to ever make it to the console. While some minor technical issues hold this title back from reaching it's full potential, this 10th anniversary edition is the basketball game to own.
THE FACT SHEET
RELEASE DATE: October 6th, 2009
PUBLISHER: Visual Concepts
DEVELOPER: 2K Sports
ESRB RATING: “E” for Everyone
GENRE: Sports Simulation
PRICE: $59.99
Rockstar announced this 
Rockstar Games has finally released information on their second DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV, “The Ballad of Gay Tony.” To be released later this fall for 1600 MS Points ($20) as an add-on content pack, this is new content separate from The Lost and the Damned and the original GTA IV story line. See the full press release after the break.
