Donkey Kong Country…3D? What a wild turn of events! Apparently a user over at DK Vine spotted cases for “Donkey Kong 3D” marked for pre-order. So what’s the big deal? Well, the game hasn’t even been announced yet.

It’s also interesting to note that there’s a box for Super Smash Brothers 3DS — EB Games/Gamestop is getting pretty desperate for pre-orders! Either this is a huge mistake, and the game was cancelled a while ago, or it’s a really early leak, and we’re in for some Donkey and Diddy goodness later this year.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

In a sad turn of events, 1UP is reporting that Diablo III will launch without one of it’s planned modes – PVP Arena. Evidently, it will come later in the year in the form of a patch. The PVP Arena mode would essentially pit players against each other like any standard deathmatch situation — a mode a lot of fans were looking forward to, given that the series has only traditionally provided world PVP.

While I don’t think it will break the game, this move is particularly surprising, because of how much it will fracture the community. Blizzard, like Valve, is one to wait until their games are 100% finished before launch — my guess is Activision has had enough of “Blizzard Time”, and is forcing them to launch it.

[Source: 1UP.com]

The above headline is a real piece of the official press release from Konami for their latest piece of software, Blades of Time — they clearly know their audience!  So what in the world is it? Well, Blades of Time is an action adventure game in the same vein as Devil May Cry, that features a “young yet tough” character named Ayumi.

Other than the fact that it has a coop mode, there really isn’t a whole lot of discernible details about the game that set it apart from any other action title. But despite today’s fanfare, Konami seems hell-bent on making this game vaporware, as pretty much no one is stocking the game on its official release week.

Konami has officially unveiled the release of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the Playstation Vita in Japan. The game will feature HD graphics for both Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 (of course!), utilize the Vita’s touch controls, and is set to launch on June 28th.

Unfortunately, there’s no news yet on whether or not the US will get the previous version of the HD package they were offered, which includes Peace Walker on top of 2 and 3. In Japan, the original HD set only included 2, 3, and a PSN code for 1. Come this Summer, fans will have two ways to play Metal Gear Solid 3 on the go!

Acclaimed and sometimes prone to over-hyping British game developer Peter Molyneux has announced that he’s leaving Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Game Studios Europe. So where is Molyneux going, and what is he saying about his departure?

Hit the jump for more information. Read more… »

Our review for new RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is coming later this week, but today developer 38 Studios announced a new batch of DLC for the game. The pirate-themed The Legend of Dead Kel will drop anchor on March 20.

Hit the jump for more details about Amalur’s latest DLC pack. Read more… »

As a huge fan of Panzer Dragoon, I’m down for anything having to do with the franchise — that includes the upcoming XBLA spiritual successor Crimson Dragon.

The game will feature 100 different equipabble skills, and the ability to map three abilities: one to your left hand, one to your right, and a two-handed skill (similar to Child of Eden). Overall I’ve been satisfied with my Kinect purchase (if mostly just for Child of Eden), and these kinds of announcements just help satiate me even further.

[Source: Siliconera]

It seems like some of the efforts of Operation Rainfall have borne fruit. Xseed Games announced that they and Nintendo are partnering up to bring Wii RPG The Last Story to North America sometime this summer.

Hit the jump for more info about The Last Story and the announcement. Read more… »

The Smithsonian opened registration Wednesday to attend a special lecture held by famed game designer Hideo Kojima. This conversation with Kojima will take place on the second day of the Smithsonian’s Game Fest, a three day festival kicking off the museum’s new The Art of Video Games exhibit. Game Fest begins Friday, March 16 in Washington DC.

If there ever was hesitation around attending this event, the Smithsonian seeks to dispel not only with the confirmation of Kojima but also with the price of attendance — free.

Read more… »

Well, the space cat’s out of the bag now. A listing for a piece of Mass Effect 3 DLC was spotted today on the Xbox Live Marketplace. It’s already been pulled down, but the listing revealed the title “From Ashes” and the fact that it will cost 800 MS Moon Dollars, also known as Microsoft Points, when it comes out.

The description also listed some spoilers, but the vanilla version of it is we’ll “unearth lost secrets from the past” in the add-on. Some people believe that “From Ashes” will be included as free content for consumers who purchase the game new. EA and BioWare did something similar with Mass Effect 2 and the Zaeed character. IGN has a more spoiler-heavy write-up of what’s known so far about “From Ashes.”

[Source: Destructoid]

Ryu won’t be the only addition to Asura’s Wrath – Capcom states that there are two extra episodes on the way, packed with anime cutscenes from Studio 4°C . Asura’s Wrath is shaping up to be quite the anime homage — between the Dragon Ball Z-esque over-the-top fight sequences and the anime cutscenes, it’s looking like a must-buy for all old school anime fans.

The game releases next week for the 360 and PS3, and there’s a demo out now if you’re interested. QTEs or not, I’ll be checking out the game for sure.

[Source: Siliconera]

2K Games announced that a new expansion pack for the acclaimed Civilization V entitled Gods & Kings is being developed by Firaxis Games for PC. The expansion pack is set to add new gameplay additions spanning the “breadth of human civilization.”

Hit the jump for more info about Civilization V: Gods & Kings. Read more… »