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Halo 4 Spartan Ops: Season One Returns Next Week

Microsoft and 343 Industries today announced the return of Spartan Ops: Season One, which includes five weeks of brand-new content – from January 21 through February 24 – returning players to the episodic adventure that tells the continuing story of the UNSC Infinity.

Reenlist with Fireteam Crimson as they search for Spartan Thorne on planet Requiem and come face-to-face with the threat of Jul ‘Mdama and his cult of Covenant separatists. Season One builds to its conclusion in Episodes 6-10 as the battle moves beyond Requiem to a wide variety of locations featuring vehicular combat and on-foot encounters with Prometheans and Covenant forces.

SimCity Beta Starts January 25

Electronic Arts today announced that the SimCity beta will run from January 25 to January 28. Those who previously signed up are already in consideration for access to the beta, limited slots are still available for late applicants. Eager fans who want to get an advance look at SimCity have a limited time to sign up at www.simcity.com/beta before the application process ends at 6pm PST on January 20.

Running from 9am PST on January 25 until 12:01am PST on January 28, the SimCity beta offers fans the chance to play a one hour slice of the game and to deliver feedback that will help shape the final product. SimCity will be available March 5 and is available for pre-order now.

NHL GameCenter Launches on Xbox Live

Today, NHL GameCenter will launch on Xbox Live, giving Gold subscribers access to their favourite NHL hockey action just in time for the 2013 season. NHL GameCenter for Xbox 360 brings you live games, replays, classic games, and videos from NHL VideoCenter, plus controller-free support with Kinect for Xbox 360.

Sonic & All-Stars Meet Team Fortress 2

Sega today confirmed that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will feature characters from developer Valve, allowing players to race for first place as the Pyro, Heavy and Spy from Team Fortress 2. Available for PC digital download on January 31st, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will also feature two other new and exclusive characters all of whom are available to play as from the start of the game.

Joining Team Fortress in the PC version of the game is the Shogun of the Total War series from Creative Assembly and the enigmatic Manager Man from Sports Interactive’s Football Manager series.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist Dated, New Trailer

When the United States is threatened, the president turns to one man, and one man only: Sam Fisher. Ubisoft today announced that Splinter Cell: Blacklist will be available on August 20th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Far Cry 3 Deluxe Bundle DLC Released

Ubisoft today announced that The Deluxe Bundle, a DLC pack for Far Cry 3, is now available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC for $9.99 (800 MS Points):

The Deluxe Bundle extends the Far Cry 3 experience by offering the opportunity to unlock:

• Six single player missions from Monkey Business and the Lost Expeditions
• Four new animals to hunt: the Mountain Lion, Thylacine, White Tiger and Red Vulture
• Two new single player weapons: Tribal Knife and Hunter’s M700 Predator
• Two multiplayer weapon unlocks: Type -10 (flare/shotgun) and Predator Bow
• One new character: Hurk and his monkeys
• Two new end of match movies for multiplayer starring Hurk and his monkeys

Trials Evolution Gold Edition Announced

Ubisoft today announced that the definitive PC edition of its Xbox Live Arcade games, Trials Evolution and Trials HD, will be available on March 21st. Trials Evolution: Gold Edition will include Trials Evolution, specially enhanced for PC, plus all of the Trials HD tracks from the original game, recreated using Trials Evolution’s graphics and physics engine.

Assassin’s Creed III DLC Hits eShop for Wii U

Ubisoft announced that the first two Assassin’s Creed III DLC packs, The Hidden Secrets and The Battle Hardened, are now available for download on the Wii U through the Nintendo eShop for $4.99 and $9.99 respectively.

The Hidden Secrets adds three extra missions, including the Lost Mayan Ruins, the Ghost of War and a Dangerous Secret, for an additional hour of gameplay, taking gamers from the lost Mayan ruins to the high seas. Every successful mission is rewarded with in-game weapons.

The Battle Hardened pack extends the Assassin’s Creed III multiplayer experience with new playable characters and maps.

LEGO City: Undercover Dated, Wii U GamePad Accessory Set Coming

Nintendo today confirmed that LEGO City: Undercover will arrive on March 18th exclusively for Wii U. Game & Wario, The Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U will also arrive in the first half of the year. Additional information about launch timing for these games will be announced at a later date.

In addition, Nintendo will be offering a Wii U GamePad Accessory Set to help owners protect their screens. The set will be available in stores on February 4th for $12.99 and includes a Wii U GamePad screen protector that fits over the screen to protect it from scratches and dirt, an extra-large stylus for comfortable touch-screen game play and a cleaning cloth.

Dead or Alive 5 Cross-Device Functionality Detailed

Team Ninja, which previously announced that its upcoming Dead or Alive 5 Plus for PS Vita will feature cross-platform matches and shared saved data and in-game purchases, today revealed this process and functionality in more detail.

Cross-Platform Play

• Hardware icons will appear next to player names in cross-platform battles to indicate whether they are playing on PS3 or PS Vita
• Cross-platform battles will run at 60fps on both platforms so there will be no lag or slowdown even when playing on different devices
• All characters that have been unlocked on PS3 can be used on PS Vita—and vice versa
• In-game rankings will show whether players are on PS Vita or PS3

Cross-Platform DLC

• Using the PS Store, DLC purchases will be shared across both platforms so players can pay a single price while getting dual platform use
• Over 100 costumes have been delivered to date as DLC, and the cross-platform transfer allows players to preserve their collection while getting new gameplay options with Dead or Alive 5 Plus on PS Vita

Cross-Platform Game Saves and Unlocked Content

• Saved games on PS Vita or PS3 can be used on the other platform, so gamers can play on the go and then bring their progress back to the console (or vice versa)
• All unlocked content on one platform is available on the other platform; for instance, Tina’s Legend Swimsuit earned by completing Legend mode in Arcade mode without continuing will be available on PS3 if earned on PS Vita
• Any new stages for DOA5 on PS3, will also be available on Dead or Alive 5 Plus for PS Vita