Battlefield 3: Aftermath Release Date Announced

EA has announced release dates for Battlefield 3’s Aftermath downloadable content. Battlefield 3 Premium members on PlayStation 3 can get Aftermath on November 27th, while Premium Xbox 360 and PC players can get it on December 4th. Non-premium players on PlayStation 3 can get Aftermath on December 11th, and non-Premium Xbox 360 and PC players will round out the schedule on December 18th.

As with all Battlefield 3 content, Aftermath will cost $14.99 (1200 Microsoft Points) and will be free to Battlefield Premium members. Aftermath is the fourth of five packs for Battlefield 3, coming ahead of End Game, which will be released in March 2013.

Separately, EA announced today that in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of Battlefield and the milestone of Premium passing 2 million members, it will offer Battlefield 1942 as a free download. Players can get 1942 on Origin’s official site, which notes that it will require an Origin account and will expire on March 1, 2013.

EA also revealed some interesting stats for Battlefield 3, noting that since its launch in 2011, players have passed 95 billion total heals and four billion total revives, destroyed three billion vehicles and fired two trillion bullets. "[Premium] has been an ambitious way to give our fans fresh, high-quality content at a great value," said DICE vice president and general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson. " This achievement is helping us define the new standard by which all other shooters deliver content and exclusive bonuses to their player communities."

For more on Aftermath, check out the details DICE revealed in July. For any other Battlefield 3 needs, look no further than our Battlefield 3 wiki guide.

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

RoboCop, Elysium Release Dates Changed

Sony has moved the release dates of their two big, upcoming sci-fi movies. The RoboCop reboot has been moved from August 9, 2013 to February 7, 2014, where it opens against DreamWorks' adaptation of the EA video game Need for Speed and Warners' Lego Movie.

Meanwhile, Sony has also moved Elysium, director Neill Blomkamp's follow-up to District 9, from March 1, 2013 to RoboCop's original August 9 slot.

The Sony Pictures Animation sequel Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers will now open on September 27, 2013, where it will be pitted against the Stallone-Schwarzenegger action flick The Tomb as well as Runner Runner.

Sony and Adam Sandler's video game-themed Pixels has also been bumped from its original May 17, 2013 date to "TBD" status.

Source : ign[dot]com

Pushmo Sequel, Epic Mickey Demo Headed to eShop

Nintendo has announced a slew of new games headed to the 3DS eShop. In addition to newly-announced release dates for Virtual Console games and the biggest retail games becoming downloadable, Nintendo announced that Pushmo -- the eShop’s biggest hit -- will have a sequel called Crashmo.

Crashmo lets players use “a whole new kind of action-puzzle play,” with new gravity mechanics like floating blocks, doors and switches. Players will “push, pull and slide each puzzle’s colorful blocks in order to climb to the top,” but unsupported blocks will fall to the ground. Crashmo contains “enhanced puzzle-creation and sharing features” and will launch on November 22nd.

Beyond Crashmo, Nintendo also announced the following games for eShop:

• NightSky -- an action-puzzle game with “cerebral challenges that fill uniquely designed, picturesque worlds” where players “maneuver a sphere by using realistic physics to advance.” (October 25th)
• Fluidity: Spin Cycle -- use tilt controls to maneuver Eddy, a puddle of water, “through a maze-like, magical world” and switch from water to ice or a steam cloud to solve puzzles. (December 27th)
• Three games from Level-5 including Suda 51’s Liberation Maiden, Aero Porter by Yoot Saito and Crimson Shroud by Yasumi Matsuno (Holiday 2012)
• Tokyo Crash Mobs -- an action-puzzle game where players must survive “three chaotic weeks” as they “they take on anyone and anything that gets in their way.” (Early 2013)

Nintendo will also release two demos on the eShop for Style Savvy: Trendsetters, with the first launching today and the second available on November 1st. Players will be able to style clothes and make up, participate in fashion contests and more before the full game launches on October 22nd. The following game demos are also “coming soon” to the eShop:

• Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!!
• Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
• LEGO Lord of the Rings
• Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

“The Nintendo eShop demonstrates Nintendo’s commitment to providing consumers with unique digital content through a combination of creativity and convenience,” said Nintendo of America executive vice president of sales & marketing Scott Moffitt. “The variety and quality of games coming this year is unmatched, from new entries in established franchises to original properties.”

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

Report: New Potential Wii U Release Details Appear

New details have leaked about potential SKUs, prices and dates for the release of the Wii U which seem to conflict with what we’ve previously heard.

While we’ve heard multiple reports in the past that suggest Nintendo’s console will arrive in North America on November 18, today’s listing suggests it’ll actually be on November 11.

That's according to a listing spotted on Video Product Distributors, which is a distribution company that supplies Amazon, Blockbuster and Overstock.

According to an entry on the site, the Wii U will become available in North America on November 11. Three SKUs are listed:

• WIIU SYSTEM - GM - 11/11/12 $249.99
• WIIU SYSTEM W/ - GM - 11/11/12 $299.99
• WIIU SYSTEM 349 W/ - GM - 11/11/12 $349.99

While we don't know precisely what each one involves, presumably the $299.99 and $349.99 versions will contain either some extra games or other peripherals like an additional GamePad to justify the beefed up price. To see the entry you'd normally need a trade login, but thankfully a YouTube user has recorded a shot of the page that reveals all.

We've been hit by a slew of information previously that the Wii U would launch on November 18, but this was thrown into confusion last week when peripheral maker PDP denied it had knowledge of the console's release date.

So where does this leave us? Well, it may muddy the waters as to the exact release date of Nintendo's new console, but it seems increasingly likely that the Wii U is destined for a November release. Both November 11 and 18 are Sundays as well, which has been the day that Nintendo traditionally favours for console releases: the Wii launched on Sunday, November 19, 2006 while the GameCube debuted on Sunday, November 18, 2001.

With a Wii U press event taking place in New York on Thursday, September 13, it thankfully doesn't seem like we'll have to wait much longer for some concrete answers.

Thanks, NintendoLife.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Hobbit Sequels Get Titles, Release Dates

Warner Bros. and MGM have officially announced the new titles and release dates for the second and third installments of The Hobbit.

The second film will be called The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and is slated for release December 13, 2013 in 2D, 3D, IMAX and in both 24 and 48 frames-per-second formats.

The third and final film is titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again. It will open worldwide July 18, 2014.

"Opening in July affords us not only the perfect summer tentpole, but fans will have less time to wait for the finale of this epic adventure," said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, opens December 14.

Source : ign[dot]com

Jurassic Park 3D Gets Bumped Up to Spring

Universal Pictures has recently changed up several of its release dates for 2013, including Steven Spielberg's 3D release of Jurassic Park. The 1993 adventure film will now be hitting theaters in the spring, moving from July 18 to April 5.

Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Ryan Reynolds' zombie flick R.I.P.D. will take over the July 19 slot, leaving behind its original June 28 frame.

The studio has also set release dates for About Time (May 10), Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall (June 28) and 2 Guns (August 16).

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Professor Layton Miracle Mask Release Dates

Nintendo has announced release dates for the 3DS and DS fall line-up. First up is Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone on October 1st, followed by Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on October 28th and Paper Mario: Sticker Star on November 11th.

Release dates were also revealed for Crosswords Plus, Freakyforms Deluxe and more, as seen on the release calendar below:

• Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone - October 1st
• Crosswords Plus - October 1st
• Sparkle Snapshots 3D - October 18th
• Skylanders Giants - October 21st
• Style Savvy: Trendsetters - October 22nd
• Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - October 28th
• Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive - November 5th
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star - November 11th
• Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion - November 18th
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - November 20th

Titles without concrete release dates include FIFA 13 in September, Angry Birds Trilogy in October, Scribblenauts Unlimited this holiday and Rayman Origins in the third quarter of 2012. A complete list of planned titles for 3DS and DS - including Imagine Babyz and more - can be found on Nintendo’s full release calendar.

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

Nike+, Kinect Sesame Street, Nat Geo TV Release Dates Set

Microsoft has announced release dates for Kinect Sesame Street TV, Kinect Nat Geo TV and Nike+ Kinect Training. Kinect Sesame Street TV and Nat Geo TV will be available for $29.99 each and will be in stores on September 18th. Nike+, meanwhile, will arrive on October 30th for $49.99.

According to Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, Nat Geo TV and Kinect Sesame Street TV allow players to “engage, interact and learn like never before.” Each game contains eight 30-minute interactive episodes, and individual episodes will be available for purchase for 400 Microsoft Points ($4.99) via Xbox Live.

Nike+ Kinect Training offers instant feedback for players as they train. Players can be reminded by phone when they’re due for a workout, and every four weeks players can receive a workout update.

Interactive TV for Kinect was originally announced at CES, while Nike+ Kinect was revealed at E3 2012.

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