Capcom have today released a trailer showing all of the best bits of the up and coming 3rd person shooter, Lost Planet 2.

Due for release next month, Lost Planet 2 continues its legacy with added co-op and multiplayer features.

Previously exclusive to select community members and available via giveaways on various websites, the Lost Planet 2 multiplayer demo is now available for download via Xbox LIVE and tomorrow on Playstation Network.
Featuring the Turbulent Jungle Map, one of the ten maps which will be available on retail disk, the Lost Planet 2 Multiplayer Demo previews the action packed mayhem that consumers can expect when Lost Planet 2 arrives in stores across Europe on May 11th 2010!

Another day, another load of crazy and sometimes pointless news that we don’t really need to know, much like the ongoing coverage of Jordan and whoever she’s seeing, marrying or slagging, but never mind. News time…
Easy Tiger (especially after the last few months…)

Information about Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 are beginning to come out, now that the worse for wear press involving the golfing cash magnet has died off a little.

There will be the usual plethora of courses and all the major PGA players will also be in attendance, but the major changes will bring some much needed online muscle. A 24 player team based online mode has been introduced to allow 2 teams of 12 to compete against each other. There is also a Ryder Cup option, giving you the option to represent your country at the most prestigious team tournament in golf.

The tees will be getting ripped up on the 8th and 11th June in the US and Europe respectively.

It’s not so Lost anymore…

Lost Planet 2’s demo will be available next week. Our assumptions will be that it’s part of the single player mode, following the mixed reactions of the multiplayer one which was put out a few months ago. It’s penned for release in May, so hopefully this taster will get us in the mood for this action packed sequel.

Quick mention to the big releases

Just Cause 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum (Game of the Year Edition) and Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver are the high profile releases of the week, with Settlers 7, Last Rebellion, Resonance of Fate and Prison Break also worthy of mention.

Not a great deal of interesting news, but I’m a bit rusty, so bear with me.

Catch you all on Monday

TNN – Turrican News Network 2010

The much anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City for the PC and for PS3 is coming this spring – on March 30, 2010. For the first time, PlayStation 3 and PC players will have the opportunity to experience the last two thrilling chapters of the Grand Theft Auto IV saga together on one disc.

The two action packed episodes, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, will also be available for download via PlayStation Network and Games for Windows-LIVE on March 30, 2010.

In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players explore Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang’s leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. Both episodes feature a slew of new vehicles and weapons, and each episode adds new activities including cage fighting, gang wars and BASE jumping.

In a trailer that was shown at a Capcom event earlier in Tokyo, Gears Of War characters made a cheeky little appearence.Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago showed up in a trailer of Lost Planet 2 and word is they are set to make an appearance as downloadable characters for the follow up in the Lost Planet franchise.  The downloadable characters will be exclusive to the 360 version.

Cliffy B was tweeting that there would be some kick ass news so we are assuming this was it.  Not kick ass but good news for Gears fans looking to purchase Lost Planet 2.

Capcom has today confirmed the release date for the next installment of the popular series Lost Planet called Lost Planet 2.Breathtaking environments, new weapons, unique vital suits and larger-than-life bosses surface in both Europe and North America on May 18th, 2010 in Lost Planet 2. Launching on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 the game is the next installment in the popular action series Lost Planet. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, the landmark third-person shooter that debuted on Xbox 360, went on to sell over 2.3 million units worldwide after its release. Lost Planet 2 will offer deeper insight into the world of E.D.N III and the uncertain fate of future mankind.

Players will control their heroes across 6 interconnected episodes, creating a truly unique interactive experience that changes depending upon the actions of the players involved. The intense and action-packed campaign mode comes with the ability to form teams of up to four players on Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network and utilize teamwork tactics, new weapons and a variety of vital suits to fight larger-than-life bosses

You’ve seen the horrors of ‘ Lost In Nightmares’. You’ve seen Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in new costumes fighting for their lives in The Mercenaries Reunion.Now join Jill Valentine and BSAA Agent Josh Stone as they escape from the Tricell facility in ‘ Desperate Escape’, the second downloadable episode for Resident Evil 5.

Recently freed of a mind control device, a fatigued Jill Valentine has collapsed. Awoken by BSAA agent Josh Stone, Jill and Josh work together to escape from the Tricell facility under the darkness of night. Fight off unrelenting waves of enemies in heart pumping blockbuster action as Jill and Josh race to assist Chris and Sheva in their final showdown with Albert Wesker.

Simultaneous with the releases of ‘Desperate Escape’ and ‘Lost In Nightmares’, new costumes for Chris (Heavy Metal) and Sheva (Business) will be made available, allowing the player to experience Resident Evil 5 with a fresh new look and feel through both game play and cut-scene playback.

Chris and Sheva in these new costumes as well as Josh Stone will also be playable in the refreshed Mercenaries Reunion mode. Along with the two previously announced characters, Chris (Warrior) and Sheva (Fairy Tale), these are the first five of eight characters announced as playable in the Mercenaries Reunion mode. Each with their own unique weapon load-outs, these new characters provide additional challenges as the player aims to shoot down as many enemies as they can within a limited time. Chain together your kills, extend your time and rack up points. Featuring the most extreme weapon selections, Mercenaries Reunion mode provides hours of new strategy induced kill sprees.

‘Desperate Escape’, ‘Lost In Nightmares’ and all new playable characters for Mercenaries Reunion will be available in Resident Evil 5: GOLD EDITION that will include the original game plus all additional content. The ultimate Resident Evil 5 experience, RESIDENT EVIL 5: GOLD EDITION will be available as a single Blu-ray disc for the PlayStation 3 or as a DVD with a token for the downloadable content for XBOX 360.

Please see below for a release schedule of all additional content:

• February 17th (360) — Lost In Nightmares + Costume Pack
• February 18th (PS3) — Lost In Nightmares + Costume Pack
• March 3rd (360) — Desperate Escape + Costume Pack 2
• March 4th (PS3) — Desperate Escape + Costume Pack 2
• March 12th (360) — Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition (Disc + Download Token)
• March 12th (PS3) — Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition (All content on disc)

Rockstar’s new DLC for GTA IV was always going to be something special. It had to be more than the usual new vehicle or weapon pack to make up for the almost twelve month wait and in typical precedent defying style Rockstar have effectively made the long awaited DLC for GTA IV a whole new GTA game.

While it revisits the locales of Liberty City seen in 2008’s smash hit iteration of the popular series, GTA IV: The Lost and Damned serves up more sandbox mayhem than most thought possible from a downloadable update.Much fuss has been made in the gaming press and internet forums about Microsoft’s asking price for this premium download. At 1600 points it does represent a significant purchase, converting to £13.60 in proper money, but considering the volume of content on offer here this is a small price to pay. The download includes an eight to ten hour single player campaign with additional hours of side missions, six new weapons including the sublime assault shotgun, 17 new bikes with much improved physics handling, 3 new vans, 5 new multiplayer modes and literally masses of new music added to the playlist rotations of Liberty City’s radio stations, all topped off with a selection of new achievements. This is not just Premium Downloadable Content; this is Rockstar Premium Downloadable Content.

The main draw here is obviously the story mode which explores the extracurricular activities of minor GTA IV character Johnny Klebitz, a member of the eponymous Lost motorcycle club of Liberty City, showing what he is up to when off screen in GTA IV. The events in Lost and Damned weave in and out of Nico’s narrative from GTA IV in a convincing manner, often showing shocking truths about just who was responsible for key events in Nico’s story. It is also nice to see a few of GTA IV’s more likeable characters returning, especially those who were killed later in Nico’s game as the Lost and Damned’s timeline begins at about the same time as Nico’s. On a handful of occasions Johnny crosses paths with Nico, showing you the flipside of missions undertaken by the duo in GTA IV. In terms of cut scenes and quality of narrative, this is for all intents and purposes a full GTA game; its story may run a little shorter than GTA IV’s 20 or so campaign hours, but for the asking price this is a hefty chuck of quality singleplayer.

The missions sit solidly in the GTA format with little in the way of innovation. Anyone who has played a GTA title in recent years will know exactly what to expect. The shooting and driving that makes up nearly a hundred percent of the gameplay is as solid and visceral as ever, with the tweaked bike handling a major improvement. Johnny’s Hexer, a custom ride that spawns outside the Lost’s base, is an impressive bike and helps counter any criticism that players might have about playing as a member of a biker gang. In the ten or so hours of the story missions it is unlikely anyone will want to swap this impressive road eating beast for a car, choosing instead to easy ride around the city, power-sliding the chunky back wheel at every opportunity. Also, the addition of mid-mission checkpoints is a welcome one, eliminating the frustration felt in GTA IV when the mission failed screen meant a long drive back across the city.

In addition to the main campaign Rockstar have included new arm wrestling and card mini-games, along with bike collection side missions and the truly excellent Bike Races which reward you with custom bikes. These races play out like Road Rash, with each rider having a baseball bat to batter opponents. It is immensely satisfying to be racing in second place, charge up to your opponent and smack them off their hog, leaving you free to roar over the finish line in first. There is even an achievement for batting opponents off their bikes in this mode; probably the most fun achievement in Xbox 360’s gargantuan list. Also available are the usual distractions of Liberty City such as pool or the Tetris-alike Qube’d, and the achievements attached to these in GTA IV can be achieved in Lost and Damned.

The other major distraction in Lost and Damned is the collection of Gang War missions which see the player taking part in gang fights with Liberty City’s many factions. The big draw here is the opportunity to level up your gang mate’s weapons and fighting skills. Successfully complete a territory skirmish and Terry and Clay will see their stats bolstered. This is invaluable as during the main game you are able to call them up as back up via an option on Johnny’s mobile phone. These missions, in addition to the backup feature and an enjoyable mini game which requires you to ride to missions in formation with the gang, help create a real sense of being part of the Lost MC. With buddies backing you up in the more explosive gunfights dotted throughout the campaign, the gameplay actually reflects the Lost’s motto of ‘Brothers for life, Lost forever!’

Graphically little has changed from the impressive visuals seen in GTA IV, though much negative comment has been made across the interweb regarding the grain filter added in this instalment. The look is reminiscent of the saturated graphics seen in San Andreas and does seem to help mark Johnny’s story out from Nico’s, and with the biker’s tale being even grittier than GTA IV’s (if such a thing is possible) it makes sense for the visuals to take a step in that direction. There is an option to switch the filter off in the option menus, though the change is negligible. The style sits well with the new characters and narratives and new locations, particularly the Lost’s chapter house, are fittingly dark and dingy. New music matches the theme with a whole host of rock, metal and hardcore thrash/death metal tracks added to the radio stations. Riding a Hexer through the streets of Liberty City with Sepultura or AC/DC providing soundtrack is a blast. And whoever put Maiden’s ‘Run to the Hill’s’ in the Liberty Rock Radio playlist deserves a bonus.

Multiplayer features three team based games. Witness Protection sees players choosing to be either S.W.A.T.-alike N.O.O.S.E. agents or members of The Lost. The N.O.O.S.E. must deliver prisoners in a prison bus to various L.C.P.D locations around the city while the Lost’s goal is to destroy the bus full of snitches. Club Business has everyone playing as a member of The Lost fighting to prove they have what it takes to lead the club by completing tasks. It plays out as cooperative and competitive mode. Another team based mode Own the City’s goal is to control as much territory as possible from NPC defenders. Before you can capture a territory all rival gang members must be removed. At the end of the time limit, whichever team has captured most territory wins.

In addition to the team modes, there are three other game types based around versus play. Race mode sees you speeding through checkpoints to reach the finish first. As in the singleplayer, each rider has a baseball bat and can charge the swing with a button press to batter the opposition off their bikes. Basically Road Rash online. Yes. It’s that good.

In Lone Wolf Biker, one player is the Lone Wolf tasked with riding through checkpoints around the city while the others try to take him down. Any player successfully muderlising the Lone Wolf takes on the mantle and tries to escape the chase he was moments ago part of. The moment where you become Lone Wolf is one of celebration and panic as yo
u realise the gang of heavily armed bikers around you are no longer your crew but your hunters.

Chopper vs. Chopper is a one on one mode, with one player on a bike and the other in a helicopter. The motorcyclist has to ride through various checkpoints across the city, while the copter pilot attempts to remove the biker with the gunships arsenal at which point players switch places until the biker is once again removed. Strategy is key here, with the biker having to use the city as cover from the helicopter assault if he has a hope of scoring the most checkpoints needed to win. Chopper Vs. Chopper provides a truly brilliant variant of cat and mouse with heavy ordnance.

All these multiplayer modes have one thing in common. The chaos of action that ensues once missions are underway. The GTA IV engine is impressive in multiplayer with multiple players exploderising each other and the many vehicles on screen causing no visible slowdown or lag worth mentioning. These games are simple, fun, violent, and fast paced, featuring some of the best things in videogaming, fast cars, hot bikes and guns…….lots of guns.

GTA IV: The Lost and Damned is a remarkable piece of DLC and owners of the 360 version of the game are fortunate to be able to play what is essentially a completely new GTA game. All the new additions help improve on the already excellent template GTA IV provided. On every level this game plays better, though it is true there are no earth-shattering innovations here and those who don’t subscribe to Rockstar’s sandbox aesthetic will find nothing new here to entice them into the fold. That said, for those out there who loved GTA IV, whether for its excellent campaign or the explosive multiplayer, this is an essential download.

GTA IV:The Lost and Damned (XBOX 360) (Rockstar) Review Score:

Graphics – Lost and Damned presents the same superb city found in GTA IV. With the main game disc installed to the hard drive of the 360 draw distance is superb and pop-up virtually non-existent. The grain filter provides grittier visuals which will please some and annoy others.

Sound – In game audio is as impressive as GTA IV with the new bikes and weapons sporting bombastic engine noises and weapon effects. Shooting the assault shotgun is an auditory joy. The massive amount of new music and radio station chatter helps freshen up the revisit to Liberty City.

Gameplay - While there is little in the way of new gameplay here, this is not a problem for fans of the franchise. Road Rash style races, new mini games and missions provide a generous package of tasks. While there is nothing here to entice those who dislike GTA games, the Rockstar faithful will find much to love.

Multiplayer – Online play is solid with connections and matchmaking working well. Team games are fast paced and frenetic with carnage breaking out on every street corner. Race mode and Lone Wolf Biker are particular highlights, but all the new modes bring something exciting to GTA IV’s online options.

Overall – The Lost and The Damned is a vast experience that sets a benchmark for downloadable content and it will be interesting to see how other companies respond to this format defining package. In the meantime, there is enough content here to fill most retail titles and then some, all for a fraction of the price. While some will be put off by the lack of new areas to discover, those who decide to pull on the leathers and hit the streets with The Lost will be rewarded with another comprehensive, high quality and essential GTA title.

Try This If You Like: GTA IV, motorbikes and Heavy Metal. Oh……. and hitting people off motorbikes with baseball bats.