According to a preview in the latest issue of PSM3, Rocksteady’s forthcoming sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, called Batman: Arkham City, will feature a multiplayer mode.

The details on what this can mean are scarce, as the preview only reads “Multiplayer is a certainty, but [there are] no details on this yet.” Whether or not this was confirmed to the magazine by the game’s developer or if the writer is just making assumptions is unclear. A cooperative multiplayer mode has been rumored for a while, with folks throwing around the idea that a second player may control either long-time Batman sidekick or the slinky Catwoman.

The Arkham City fun doesn’t stop today, as a slew of screenshots have surfaced, and this much is confirmed: it looks bonkers. Check the gallery for the goodies, try to keep your eyes in your skull, and speculate on what a multiplayer mode in Arkham City might offer.

PSM3 Confirm Arkham City Multiplayer [Arkhamcity.co.uk]
1337guyzorz2’s photostream [Flickr]

Via Destructoid

While gamers still curse Microsoft for its current Xbox Live price hike, industry analyst and sourpuss Michael Pachter has used magic to determine that it’s going to get a lot more pricey than that. The soothsayer has had visions of a new tier to Xbox Live — a $100 Platinum service.

“The extra $10 translates to around $100 — 150 million per year in additional revenue for Microsoft,” states the bottersnike.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine wants to kick your ass. Well, not literally, but with the original track he wrote for the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

The song “Sudden Death” (spoiler alert!) plays during the game’s final battle, a face-off with the demigod of rock. It’s a finger-blistering number written specifically for the game, the intention to push the Guitar Hero player’s skills to the limit. Mustaine is proud of the track, which he wrote based on a script and game illustrations provided to him by Neversoft.

How he describes the song: it starts off scary, then it stops, then it picks up pace at the end. That’s like going into a record store and saying “I’m looking for this song I heard on the radio. It goes ‘dummy dum dum dum’ on the bass, and then the drums come in and it’s all like ‘widdly-wah, widdly-wah’ on the guitar right before the singer says ‘can you feel my raging heat, come down with it girl.’ Do you’ve that one?”

Check the video above to hear the track, see the note chart in action, and marvel at the fact that Mustaine has had the same haircut for over 25 years.

Via Destructoid

You’ve to hand it to Twisted Pixel — they know what the fans want. The studio behind The Maw, ‘Splosion Man, and now Comic Jumper has a number of good reasons for you to come visit its booth at PAX, #3003.

For starters, Comic Jumper will be playable. The game’s fourth art style, which is probably my favorite of the bunch, was recently outlined with some slick sketches. Be sure to check out Twisted Pixel’s behind-the-scenes look at this take on manga.

At the booth, there will be live ukulele performances of

According to a press release issued by Italian American community watchdog UNICO, its public protest of a New York City Mafia II launch party yielded some impressive results. UNICO’s Andrew DiMino is quoted as saying that its efforts — which included a strongly-worded letter to Take-Two’s Strauss Zelnick and a public demonstration — led to the celebration being a “dismal failure.”

It’s difficult to comprehend DiMino and UNICO’s idea of a “dismal failure”; photos and video appear to advocate it was anything but. According to those who attended the celebration, hosted by Gamertag Radio and sponsored by Take-Two subsidiary 2K Games, the gathering was largely a success.

“I had a feeling in my bones that the night was going to be one to remember,” says Joe Betancourt, community manager for Talking About Games, who stated the party “surpassed [his] expectations. He calls the venue “classy” adding that “[Gamertag Radio] was on their ‘A’ game for this event.” He also says that negative press generated by UNICO prior to the event didn’t seem to have affect on the vibe of the party, which featured appearances from Hot 97’s Miss Info and Playboy’s Jo Garcia.

While UNICO did make an appearance at the event, standing outside of the venue brandishing signs like “End Anti-Italiansim[sic]” and “Enough Is Enough,” not everyone took notice.

“To be honest, I didn’t even think they were there,” partygoer Mark Washington told us. “[Unico's] presence wasn’t even recognized by anyone in attendance.”

Despite what appears to be a failed effort to generate negative buzz and ruin a local New York event, UNICO vows this isn’t the last we’ve heard from the organization.

“Take-Two and its major investors, and the entertainment industry in general, will be hearing further and forcefully from us,” said DiMino.

[Images]

Via Destructoid

The latter half of this year has been totally stellar for download-only games. On the Xbox LIVE Arcade front, they couldn’t even fit everything into one promotion. September will see a bunch of solid releases, and in October, Microsoft is throwing a “Game Feast” bash.

The full line-up will go a little something like this (brace your wallets for impact):

• September 8: Plants vs. Zombies (1200 Microsoft Points)
• September 8: Dance! It’s your Stage (800 Microsoft Points)
• September 15: Sonic Adventure (800 Microsoft Points)

“Game Feast” games:

• September 29: Hydrophobia (1200 Microsoft Points)
• October 6: Comic Jumper (1200 Microsoft Points)
• October 13: Pinball FX 2 (Free — tables are bought individually)
• October 20: Super Meat Boy (TBD)

I love how they’re missing a week in September. Anyhow, I’ll likely end up getting everything except Sonic Adventure and Dance! It’s Your Stage. What about the rest of you?

Coming soon to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace [Major Nelson]

Via Destructoid

There’s an interesting new option for players who haven’t dived into Battlefield: Bad Company 2. You can currently get the game for $39.99, or, as of this day, you can get the Ultimate Edition, which includes the sort of pack-ins you’d probably expect.

Priced at the full $59.99, Ultimate Edition includes Bad Company 2, the “Onslaught” mode add-on, immediate access to four vehicle upgrades and two weapon unlocks from day one (as seen in BC2 Limited Edition), and ideal of all, Battlefield 1943.

This package should be available as of this day, but I’ve noticed that not all stores have it in stock yet.

Via Destructoid

Before you freak out too much over the “free” part of the headline, let me clarify: Pinball FX 2 will hit Xbox LIVE Arcade on October 13 as a platform. I mean that in the same way Game Room is a platform.

If you own Pinball FX, you can import all of your old tables (including any add-on content you own) into Pinball FX 2 for graphical updates and new Accomplishments. What’s more, there will be four Pinball FX 2 tables to try out and possibly purchase. So, the “game” itself is a freebie, but you have to pay for the tables.

Seems like the way to go, if you ask me. Make the barrier to entry as low as possible, and then (hopefully) price the additional content low enough to get people coming back for more on a regular basis. Smart idea, really.

Via Destructoid

It

was rumored yesterday that Microsoft was working on an overhauled Xbox 360 with a new D-Pad, and now the company has confirmed that yes, the ratty little squirt of plastic shite that we currently have (in my opinion) is getting a bit of an improvement. Only slightly, though.

Hardly a rumor at this point as much as it’s “not official,” but coming with Kinect for Xbox 360 this fall will be an overhauled dashboard. You’ve seen the images, and now with select beta testers getting the Kinect units out there in the wild, we’re seeing more and more of what we have the ability to anticipate come November.

This latest batch of images and video from our source shows off the dashboard in action, including a new look to gamercards, accomplishment lists, and more. Also included are images of the setup documentation, which is very clear about not putting the Kinect hardware near a coffee maker or talking about it to the press. I don’t know how that coffee maker thing is working out for our tipster.

In order to protect our source, gamertags have been blacked out, but otherwise the images remain untouched. Enjoy your early look at the “next Xbox experience.”

Via Destructoid