Ouya Game Console Will Update Annually

Ouya game system

Game On

Julie Uhrman, CEO of the Android-based Ouya games console company, announced that the system will receive refreshed hardware on an annual basis.

Speaking at the DICE Summit, Uhrman says that the annual upgrade will take advantage of faster and more powerful processors as they are developed, and still maintain a $99 price point. However, you don’t have to worry about throwing out your games library and starting over every year. Uhrman assures us that the Android-based OS will allow each new console to preserve backwards compatibility with older games. Although older consoles may be unable to run more advanced 3D titles as time goes on. The consoles naming conventions will reflect the annual refreshes, such as Ouya 2, Ouya 3, and onward.

The idea of having hardware outdated on a regular annual schedule may be a turn-off for some, but the company seems confident that the system’s low price and unified OS is a selling point to encourage upgrade purchases and prevent fragmenting the audience. And in a time when smart-phones, tablets, and MP3 players seem to be updated regularly on a 2-year cycle, then maybe it isn’t so unusual for a game console to try this tactic. And 2-years of Ouyas will still be far less expensive then the latest phones and tablets.

Ouya is set to arrive on store shelves this June for $99.

Transformers Battle Card Game Coming To Mobile Devices

Transform And Game On

Mobile social gaming platform Mobage held a press conference to reveal its upcoming slate of games, which will include Transformers Battle. The Japanese games platform has over 1000 apps in 150 countries, including the card-based mobile fantasy game Rage of Bahamut. Mobage will be working on Transformers Battle along with game developer ngmoco:).

With Transformers Battle, players will be able to collect a team of Autobot and Decepticon cards to send on in-game missions. Mixing the two factions is allowed. The basic game mechanics from Bahamut will be used for the Transformers game. And it is being said that the game will launch in the fall with over 200 characters from the Transformers G1cartoon series.

  

Each character will have two different cards, one for their robot form and one for their alternate mode. If a player has both cards, they can combine the two into an even more powerful transforming card character. Card games have to have chase cards, so there will be rare legendary Transformer cards  featuring animated backgrounds and characters to try and capture the feeling of having rares like in a physical trading card games. Transformers Battle will feature a unique campaign for both Autobots and Decepticons. And there will be a robust multi-player mode that will offer up to three on three battles between users.

Transformers Battle lands on iOS and Android devices this fall.

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth Trailer

Avengers Assemble!

Ubisoft Quebec will release Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth for the Xbox 360 with Kinect and Nintendo’s Wii U system. The game will feature interactive environments inspired by Marvel comic artwork and the Secret Invasion storyline. and you’ll be able to set into the costumes of 20 different characters, including Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor, as well as other heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe.

Look for Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth  on December 31st , 2012.

Star Wars 1313 Video Game Announced

Retched Hive Of Scum And Villainy

Lucas Arts has announced that a new Star Wars video game is looming on the horizon. Dubbed Star Wars: 1313, the game is described as being a 3rd-person cinematic action adventure game that takes place in dark underworld of Coruscant. In this game players will assume control of “a lethal bounty hunter in a never-before-seen dark and mature world.”

The game is named after Level 1313, a huge subterranean city deep beneath the surface of the planet Coruscant. You take on the role of  bounty hunter who takes on the ruthless criminal underground with an arsenal of exotic weaponry to hunt down his marks and uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy. Star Wars 1313 promises epic set pieces, exotic weaponry and gadgets, cover-based combat, epic platforming, seamless playable cinematic game-play, and fast-paced combat with a hero who uses human skills and gadgets, rather than supernatural Force powers.

“We’re excited to share one of the projects LucasArts has been hard at work developing,” said Paul Meegan, President, LucasArts. “Star Wars 1313 dives into a part of the Star Wars mythos that we’ve always known existed, but never had a chance to visit. We are committed to bringing the best game-play experience and visual fidelity to life and I truly believe the work we are showcasing at E3 will speak for itself.”

The game is coming from an integrated development approach from the various Lucasfilm branches. LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation Ltd. and Skywalker Sound have all been involved with the development of this game.

This is game is said to be a bold new take on the Star Wars galaxy, intended for mature audiences. Star Wars 1313 will make its formal debut at the 2012 Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, on June 5-7th.

More details about Star Wars 1313 will surface in the coming months at StarWars.com, www.StarWars1313.com, and at LucasArts.com.

You Can Be Stan Lee

Doing The Things A Stan Lee Can

Activision‘s upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man video game will give you the opportunity to have comic book creator, and legend, Stan Lee as a playable character. The game will be released  on June 26, a week ahead of the film’s July 3rd opening, but it will serve as a sequel to the Amazing Spider-Man movie.

If you pre-order the game now for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 at Amazon.com you will receive a special mission where you’ll play as Stan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man and many other marvel characters. This Stan Lee will web-sling his way through Manhattan in a race to collect pages of a comic book script. And all the while his banter will punctuate the gameplay for true believers. A “special surprise” to celebrate Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary awaits fans who finish the mission.

While Amazon has Stan Lee, gamers who pre-order The Amazing Spider-Man from Gamestop retail stores will unlock a playable Rhino character. In “The Rhino Challenge,” players will rampage through Manhattan, destroying everything in their way.

Hopefully the initial choice between the two is all that we’ll be able to get. Usually pre-order exclusives become available as down-loadable content later on.