Borderlands 2 Pirate DLC Leaks

Information on downloadable content for Borderlands 2 has leaked online. Called “Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty,” the pack appears to have been leaked by files included in yesterday’s early release of the Mechromancer class and features new missions, a new rarity color, new loot and more.

According to a trophy list on PS3trophies.org, three additional Trophies (and presumably achievements) will be included along with the pack: one for completing a mission called “X Marks the Spot,” one for discovering all named locations “in Oasis and the surrounding Pirate's Booty areas,” and one for completing “all Pirate’s Booty side missions.”

In addition, files from the Steam version of Borderlands 2 have leaked significantly more information. A thread on the official Gearbox forums includes multiple images, showing off a new currency called Seraph Crystal, a new pink item rarity, new head customization options for the game’s original four classes, a new vehicle and a plethora of new items, weapons, enemies and bosses. In addition, a text file on Pastebin allegedly includes all of the Echo dialog from the game. According to one entry, the story of the pack is summed up as follows: “legends speak of Captain Blade's Lost Treasure of the Sands. Of a prize so great that men would turn the sands red in pursuit of it. Of a pirate queen, courageous and deadly, who would stop at nothing to find it. Of a monstrous Leviathan. Of the Vault Hunters who journeyed to the desert town of Oasis, not knowing the horrors that would befall them.”

For now, the content is unconfirmed, but we’ve reached out to 2K and Gearbox for comment. Previously, rumors suggested that new downloadable content called Torgue could be in the works for Borderlands 2, but it’s unclear if that and Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty are related. Gearbox hasn’t detailed any downloadable content for Borderlands 2, though a Season Pass currently available for purchase suggests that multiple packs will be coming in the future.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

IPL5 Open Regionals #4! Brackets, Schedule, General Information

The qualifiers for IPL5 are drawing to a close, but not quite yet!  We have one last Qualifier for the NA and EU regions, and we're giving you all the information on it here!  But, watching these games online isn't nearly as exciting as watching the teams that have qualified/will qualify LIVE at IPL5, so make sure you book your rooms and buy your tickets to attend!

http://www.ign.com/ipl5

Questions? Concerns? Email nallen@ign.com.

Where to Watch & Schedule

• Live Stream can be found at: http://twitch.tv/IPLLoL
• VODs can be found at: http://youtube.com/IPLLoL
• Broadcasting Schedule: http://www.ign.com/ipl/all/schedule

Online Qualifier Tournament Format

• Separate EU and NA tournaments
• Best of 3 Matches
• $1000 Prize

Tournament Schedule – Subject to change

• Matches will begin Tuesday, September 18th
• Broadcasts will happen Tuesday-Friday
  • 11:00am PST / 20:00 CET – EU Tournament Matches
  • 5:00pm PST / 04:00 CET – NA Tournament Matches
• Qualifier 4: September 18th – September 28th

Brackets and Schedule

North American Bracket

European Bracket

Source : ign[dot]com

New Nintendo Land Attractions Announced

During this morning's Wii U Preview Event, Nintendo revealed a bit more information about its flagship launch title for the platform, Nintendo Land. We previously knew about eight of the 12 total "attractions" inside the package, but four remained a mystery. Now we know about two more.

"Mario Chase" is a refined, evolved version of the "Chase Mii" demo first showcased at E3 2011. Dressed as Mushroom Kingdom characters, four players will work together on the TV screen to chase down a fifth runner, who plays using the Wii U GamePad.

"Pikmin Adventure" will also be playable at the event later today, and Bill Trinen has described the game as an "action-based multiplayer attraction," with players having their Miis dressed up like Pikmin soldiers and working together to swarm enemies characters.

UPDATE! Here's a first look at new screens of the new attractions in action:

Mario Chase

Pikmin Adventure

Lucas M. Thomas is IGN Nintendo's wise old sage, having worked to cover the worlds of Mario, Link, Samus and all the rest of the Big N's creations for over six years here. You can follow him on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

IPTL Premier Division - Group B Preview

Welcome to IPTL Season 1 Premier Division Group B overview. Information that you can find in this article should help you in getting the best possible viewing experience while watching our live stream during IGN Pro Team League where the best teams and players in the world clash not only for the money, but also for the title! Fasten your seat belts or grab something to drink and enjoy.

Premier division of IPTL Season 1 consists of 8 teams that are divided into 2 groups. In Round of 8 we are going to have Round Robin system and matches will be played in an All-Kill format. Top 2 teams in every group advance to the Round of 4 while bottom 2 teams drop into the Up and Down Matches.

Round of 4 is a single elimination tournament for the IPTL’s championship crown. All 4 teams who qualify to Ro4 are instantly seeded in the next season Premier Division’s Tournament.

Premier Group B has everything that Starcraft 2 fans love: top Korean teams and superstar line-ups. With professional commentary provided by IGN’s casters done onh free high quality stream you get a perfect combination.

Team SCV Life have five strong players capable of winning, but what’s going to happen once they get eliminated? Read about TSL’s champions and runner-ups here Known for having super strong players like Bomber or PartinG, StarTale is ready for IPTL Season 1. They possibly have the highest number of players seeded in both Code A and Code S, but is that enough? Read IPL’s article on StarTale here. This is the team with the smallest number of players, but 80% of their roster is seeded in one of GSL’s leagues. Lead by MarineKingPrime and young Creator, Prime is a force to be reckon with. Apparently they believe in motto “quality over quantity.” Is it true? Read about them here Incredible Miracle is full of big names, but is it going to be enough? Lately most of their ace players weren’t performing well, so everybody’s looking forward to see them in action. Is IPTL going to be their event? Find out more about IM here.

We want to make sure that you know our schedule for IPTL Season 1, so that you won’t miss the most exciting games this season. Below you can find the schedule for Premier Group A matches.

Match 1: Incredible Miracle vs StarTale (09/11/2012)

Match 2: Prime vs Team SCV Life (09/19/2012)

Match 3: Incredible Miracle vs Prime (09/26/2012)

Match 4: StarTale vs Team SCV Life (10/03/2012)

Match 5: StarTale vs Prime (10/10/2012)

Match 6: Incredible Miracle vs Team SCV Life (10/17/2012)

I don’t remember if we ever had such an amazing and fun to watch group in any team event thus far. Four Korean power-house teams full of beastly players and long history of grand achievements in one league is just insane. I do not believe anyone who would say they are not going to watch this – you would be stupid. I am sorry, but that’s the truth – IPL did something that only GOMTV was able to do during their GSTL event. IPTL Season 1 is going to be the best team event outside Korea hands-down.

Isn’t it electrifying to watch TSL in what could possibly look like a group of death for them taking into consideration their GSTL performance and teams that were able to defeat them in the semi-finals of every tournament? It’s going to be insane!

MarineKingPrime isn’t as good as he used to be, but I feel that this event might be his great comeback. In June he did an all-kill on StarTale in KSL Team League Season 1, so why couldn’t he repeat this success in IPTL? I believe he can, especially when he’s being supported by Creator, current TeamLiquid StarLeague 4 champion.

I cannot wait to see Squirtle’s PvP – he’s the only player who can actually make this match-up look so interesting. StarTale have so many godly players on their team that they look unstoppable, but in All-Kill format even one small point counts.

We all know the story about NesTea who created the earth and people told by Tastosis during GSL matches, but is he going win at least a game during IPTL Season 1? He’s been in a slump for a very long time, yet there are still many people who would actually love to see him win again.

But fear not! There is still Seed, LosirA, Mvp and Happy who can come and save the day, and if they would fail IM have Yonghwa. On paper it looks like they simply cannot lose even one game.

However, these are all assumptions based on players latest performance. The results will verify everything. I just hope to watch six awing matches and get ready for the playoffs. IPTL Season 1 begins shortly and it’s going to be legen – wait for it – dary!

Source : ign[dot]com

The Death of Singular Experiences

Buying a game today no longer means buying the full experience. Whether it’s background information explained in a prequel comic, additional missions via DLC or a Facebook tie-in, what comes in the box is rarely the full and definitive package. Now more than ever, developers, publishers and their marketing teams are using supplementary material to keep players mentally, emotionally and - most importantly – financially invested and engaged with their products.

But in an effort to broaden their franchises, are they also running the risk of alienating their audience? Do these supplements add or subtract from the core experience? Let’s run through a few of the most common ways once-standalone games are being expanded upon. Have a read, and then let us know in the comments section if you think these developments are for better or worse.

Multiplayer

The addition of multiplayer to titles that once-upon-a-time would have been single player experiences only is obviously a reflection of the importance of multiplayer to gaming today. In a general sense, as long as the inclusion of multiplayer doesn’t take resources away from the single player component, then it’s a nice bonus that gamers can either take or leave. That said, it adds a whole new challenge for the completionists out there, who want to 100% their games. Getting all the achievements/trophies/what have you in single player is one thing, but adding in challenges that are contingent on other players can make truly finishing a game an incredibly long road.

Dead Space 2 introduced multiplayer. It was basically extra value for those that wanted it.

That’s a challenge for some (and a first world problem if ever there was one), but the more worrying prospect for single player puritans is cross-over between the two aspects of a game. With Mass Effect 3, for instance, BioWare tied the addition of competitive multiplayer to progress in the main campaign. Sure, success in multiplayer wasn’t necessary for success in single player, but it's quite possibly a sign of things to come. Still, at least the addition of multiplayer comes at no additional cost, unlike…

Downloadable Content

Plenty of arguments have been made for and against the rise of DLC in recent years. When implemented well, DLC can expand on the scope of a game’s world and narrative (Fallout 3, Skyrim) or use existing assets and characters to tell vastly different tales (Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Infamous 2: Festival of Blood).

These expansions offer fresh takes on old favourites, allowing fans to play more of the games they love. Even so, it can still be confusing as to which DLC changes or adds to the core game, and which is kept separate. Saints Row: The Third we’re looking at you.

But is it canon?

On the other end of the spectrum, DLC can be used in a more cynical fashion to wring a few more dollars out of customers. In this regard, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Asura’s Wrath come to mind. Both games finish with seemingly inconclusive endings. More definitive finales for these games can be purchased through DLC. Should gamers be grateful or outraged by this practice?

Comics and books

Releasing comic book series' related to upcoming games is a growing trend within the industry. Comics can be used to introduce a new game, bridge between two existing games (Portal 2, Arkham City), or to flesh out the greater mythology of the game world (Assassin’s Creed: The Fall). Tie-in novels are also common (Dead Space).

Gaining a new perspective and greater understanding of a game world can be interesting, though there is a fine line between using a comic series to bring depth, and using it to pave over plot holes or explain ideas that should have been expanded upon within the game itself. Arkham City is a fairly straightforward game, but a number of people queried plot points that were explained in the bridging comic series. Did this lack of information ruin the game? No, but it was only through reading the comics and playing the game that the full experience was achieved.

Bridging story summary: Batman is bad-ass.

Adding further confusion is the way the tie-in comic is marketed. The importance of the comic is usually emphasised (so that people will want to buy it) while it is simultaneously insisted upon that reading it is not necessary for enjoying the game itself. Either the information is important to the understanding of the game, or it's not… right?

Facebook and smartphone tie-ins

Social media and smartphone tie-in games are now almost standard practice in the industry, and while many are forgettable, that’s not necessarily the rule. Two of the more popular examples of this type of game extension are Mass Effect Infiltrator (smartphone) and Assassin’s Creed: Project Legacy (Facebook). Each offers a very limited version of their respective titles, with completion adding and unlocking features within their console counterparts. Quality of these games aside, do you find them necessary? What - if anything - do they bring to your gaming experience? Should content (no matter how trivial) in games you have purchased be locked away, their availability contingent on you paying for or playing other content? Should games for social and mobile platforms stand alone?

Let us know your thoughts on these trends in gaming below. Which do you enjoy, which could you do without? Are there any other practices that you love or hate?

Scott Clarke is a freelance games journalist based in Australia. You can follow him on IGN or Twitter, and why not join the IGN Australia Facebook community while you're at it?

Source : ign[dot]com

Capcom President: New Strategy Ahead

Capcom's annual financial report has been released, and it contains some interesting information concerning how the company will make games going forward.

In the report, Capcom president and COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto said:

"We launch sales of popular series titles held by the Company approximately every 2.5 years. This is because the development of a single major title usually requires 3-4 years; in the event that there are few hits, it will be difficult to create a series title every year and earnings will be adversely impacted.

"For this reason, it is important either to maintain a large number of popular titles or shorten the sales cycle to ensure stable earnings. Among the multitude of major titles held by Capcom - such as Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Lost Planet, Dead Rising and many others - we will promote shortening of the sales cycle in pursuit of further earnings stabilisation and growth."

Tsujimoto went onto to describe how this increased productivity will be achieved. Firstly, Capcom will limit development teams to 100 members, with "multiple sequel titles [being] developed at the same time". The Japanese publisher will additionally strengthen its in-house development, increasing its staff by 100 graduates each year. It will also attempt to increase the number of titles released in a single year, "using a hybrid development model whereby the core portions of the project aredeveloped in-house by Capcom and the process-work is outsourced to outside development companies".

While he didn't have much to say about the next generation of home consoles, Tsujimoto did say that Capcom will be allocating around "20 per cent of development investment " into creating new products, including a "new popular next generation franchise".

So we'll get more Capcom games each year, and there will be less time between sequels for its more popular titles.

Are these announcements something to be happy about or do they inspire a creeping fear that quality standards could slip? Capcom seems to be making the right noises, reassuring fans that's its strengthening in the areas it needs to in order to execute this new strategy. But let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. His development cycle was roughly nine months. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Nintendo Hosting Wii U Press Event in September

In less than a month, Nintendo will finally reveal more information about its forthcoming console, Wii U - hopefully including that long-awaited release date and price. Today the company sent out invitations to select media outlets, confirming that a Wii U preview event will take place in New York on Thursday, September 13 from 10:00am to 4:00pm EDT.

The presentation will be led by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, and will apparently shed light on "how the Wii U will change the future of gaming and entertainment." Since it's getting pretty late in the year for the console that was promised a global launch by the end of 2012, we can only assume official launch information will also be divulged at that time.

When can you get your hands on the GamePad? We'll know soon enough.

Although we can't say for sure, it's a good bet that Wii U will hit store shelves this November, considering Nintendo's past two console releases (the GameCube and Wii) arrived in North America on November 18 and November 19 respectively. Rumors and purported leaks seem to support this theory, though recent speculation of manufacturing problems has suggested the launch might actually miss Black Sunday and arrive in December instead.

Hopefully we'll know for sure following this September event - until then, keep it here on IGN for all the latest Wii U happenings.

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can follow her wild adventures on her IGN blog and Twitter. Game on!

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Layoffs Hit PopCap, International Studios Shuttered

New reports suggest that layoffs have hit PopCap Games. According to information originating from the Twitter account of 3D Realms founder George Broussard, approximately 50 employees have been let go from PopCap’s Seattle headquarters, and its international offices in Dublin and Shanghai have been shut down.

The report has been corroborated by VG247, who writes that an anonymous source familiar with the matter says PopCap has been “very quietly” laying off staff for “several months.”

PopCap was acquired by publisher Electronic Arts for $750 million in July 2011. The studio is best known for the release of Peggle, Plants Vs. Zombies and Bejeweled, among others. Just yesterday, PopCap announced that a Plants Vs. Zombies sequel will be released in 2013.

We’ve reached out to both EA and PopCap for confirmation of the layoffs and will update with any comment we receive. IGN wishes the best of luck to anyone affected by the news.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Codemasters Teases Grid 2

A new trailer has strongly hinted that Grid 2 is on its way. And the trailer's website – www.theracereturns.com – promises that more information will arrive on August 8th.

The trailer keeps things pretty cryptic, with shots a car, a set of spinning wheels, and lots of smoke, before revealing a logo bearing the number 2. But all signs point towards a sequel to Grid, Codemasters' 2008 reboot of the TOCA series. Since 2008, the racing-focused publisher has released two installments of its popular Dirt franchise. Is Grid 2 just around the bend?

Daniel is IGN's UK Games Writer. He is an excellent driver and regularly watches People's Court. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Is Reality Racers Coming to PlayStation Vita?

Gaming site Siliconera has extracted some interesting information from Japanese trademark filings indicating that Sony may be working on a game called Reality Racer. Depending on if you liked the Vita launch game Reality Fighters -- we certainly didn’t -- this may or may not be good news… at least if the two games are connected.

All Siliconera dug up was that Sony indeed filed the trademark, and for the time being, the trademark only appears in Japan. Whether or not it’s related to Reality Fighters still remains to be seen. We’ve reached out to Sony for comment and will update if and when we hear more.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill Details

EA has revealed new information about Battlefield 3’s upcoming Armored Kill expansion. Armored Kill will include four new maps, including Bandar Desert, the biggest map in Battlefield history. Also included will be new vehicles (including tanks, ATVs and mobile artillery), five new vehicle unlocks for the base game, 20+ new unlocks for the new vehicles and a new game mode called Tank Superiority, which the Battlefield Blog explains as involving tank pilots and infantry using "all their skills to control key points of the maps.”

Armored Kill will keep the player cap at 24 players, and the new maps will all be playable in all six of Battlefield 3’s game modes. Armored Kill is set to arrive in September and, like all Battlefield 3 content, will come to PlayStation 3 one week early.

Armored Kill is the third of five Battlefield 3 downloadable content packs, following December 2011’s Back to Karkand and last month’s Close Quarters. As DICE detailed yesterday, Aftermath will follow (and is currently scheduled for December) and Battlefield 3’s content will conclude with End Game in March 2013.

All five Battlefield 3 packs can be purchased separately, or bought all together for a one-time purchase of $49.99 via Battlefield Premium, which offers unique in-game weapons, priority servers, double XP weekends and new dog tags in addition to early access to all downloadable content at no additional cost. Back in June, EA said that more than 800,000 signed up for Premium in the service’s first two weeks.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Win A TV And Xbox With Risen 2: Dark Waters

Risen 2: Dark Waters, the pirate fantasy RPG sequel, is hitting Xbox and PS3 on August 3 and to celebrate we've launched an exciting hub packed with information about the game. We're also giving you the chance to win a 40" HD TV, an Xbox 360 and a copy of Risen 2: Dark Waters to bring your new hardware set-up to life!

We've also got five copies of the game to give to five runner ups, so if you want the chance to bag yourself a copy of this fantasy adventure simply head over to http://uk-microsites.ign.com/risen2 and take part in the treasure hunt! Click on the button marked Competition in the navigation menu on the right of the page, then ‘Begin the Hunt'. tThree different monsters will appear on the page, you will need to click all three to be able to enter the competition draw.

You have until 10am on August 2 2012 to submit your details. This competition is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only with full terms and conditions on the competition page.

Source : ign[dot]com