Hasta La Gadget!

PC and Xbox 360 Skyrim players are already enjoying Dawnguard and Hearthfire (sorry PS3 players), but it looks like Bethesda isn’t quite finished releasing DLC for its latest epic. A particularly savvy Bethesda forums member has taken an up close look at the code for the Skyrim beta 1.8 update and has possibly unearthed details about Skyrim‘s next piece of DLC. According to this user, who goes by the name of Mardoxx, Skyrim‘s next DLC could be called “Dragonborn,” and it’s taking place in area that isn’t actually a part of Skyrim.

Specifically, we’re talking about Solstheim, a rather large-looking island that lies just north of Morrowind and northeast of Skyrim. There are other locations mentioned too, including Raven Rock, Castle Karstaag, Miraak Temple, Telvanni Tower, and the Standing Stones. Even better? It looks like players will be riding dragons at some point in this DLC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be dragon mounts – Eurogamer points out that it could just be a scripted event.

Still, we know that Bethesda has played around with the idea of dragon mounts, so it may not be long before you can summon a dragon from the skies and fly over the lands of Skyrim on its back. In any case, there were other goodies spotted in the code for beta update 1.8, like mounted spell casting, new armor types, and a few new creates and items that Mardoxx claims are “not that interesting.” PS3 players take note, as PS3 DLC was also specifically mentioned in the code. We’re not sure what the mention of PS3 DLC means, but it may just be a glimmer of hope for players who have been waiting a really long time for Skyrim DLC with nothing to show for it.

It’s been a while since we last visited Solstheim, which was a location in the Bloodmoon expansion for Morrowind. If all of this is legitimate – Mardoxx warns that it could be an elaborate prank on Bethesda’s part – then there is definitely reason to get excited. For now, however, we wait for something in the way of official confirmation from the studio. Stay tuned.

Skyrim’s next DLC “Dragonborn” might feature dragon mounts is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Call of Duty Elite is a separate service that works alongside the Call of Duty games to provide stat tracking, social options, monthly map updates, and more. The service is dropping its paid premium plans and will be going completely free for Black Ops II gamers when the new title officially launches on November 13.

For $50/year, Elite subscribers had all of the basic features of the free subscription, but also had access to certain challenges and competitions, increased video storage space, and guaranteed early access to DLC map packs. All of this will become free to all subscribers of Call of Duty Elite who buy Black Ops II.

There is one small caveat, though. It seems that early access to DLC is no longer available in Elite, but Activision is giving Xbox 360 gamers the ability to purchase a “season pass” for $50 (or 4,000 Microsoft Points). This will give gamers access to four map packs throughout 2013. Each map pack by themselves normally cost $15 each, but season pass holders will be able to grab them all for $50, saving a total of $10.

As of August, Call of Duty Elite had 12 million subscribers, and 2.3 million of them were premium subscribers. Those 2.3 million subscribers will automatically transfer to the new free service when their subscriptions for Modern Warfare 3 run out. The new Elite services will launch concurrently with Black Ops II next month.

No $50 season pass has been announced for PS3, Wii U or PC yet, but Activision notes that “season pass and DLC map packs may not be available on all gaming platforms.” Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be available for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC.

[via Joystiq]

Call of Duty Elite for Black Ops II will be completely free is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Yesterday, we told you that Gearbox had released the highly anticipated Mechromancer DLC for Borderlands 2 a week early, which is good. Unfortunately, a number of users were reporting that the DLC and the patch that goes along with it were wiping badass ranks, skins, heads, golden keys, and in some particularly nasty cases, character saves, which is bad. Today, however, Gearbox is saying that the DLC and the rank reset bug aren’t actually connected, which is simply a relief.

After reports of the rank reset bug hit the Gearbox forums, community manager Chris Faylor posted a statement claiming that though the bug and the DLC seem connected, in reality they aren’t. “The good news is that the release of Mechromancer and today’s update are not connected to the occurrences of Badass Rank being reset — while the timing may appear coincidental, it’s a separate issue that we are continuing to investigate,” Faylor wrote. While he got his words a little jumbled there – the timing actually is coincidental – it’s good to know that downloading the Mechromancer DLC isn’t going to completely ruin your game.

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of the rank reset bug, so it could be that the Mechromancer DLC is pulling players back into Borderlands 2 and they’re simply experiencing this reset bug for the first time. If that’s happening, it’s easy to understand why these players are thinking that the Mechromancer DLC has something to do with the bug. Thankfully, it doesn’t, or at least that’s what the official word from Gearbox claims.

That doesn’t change the fact that the rank reset bug is still floating around out there and causing headaches for a lot of players. Gearbox says that its working on a fix, and if you encounter it, you’re urged to email the studio at profiles@gearboxsoftware.com. When you do, be sure to provide as many details as possible so Gearbox can get a better grasp on when the bug occurs and who it affects. Have you been hit by this nasty rank reset bug, or have you managed to avoid it thus far?

Gearbox: Borderlands 2 rank reset bug not connected to DLC is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Skyrim‘s second serving of DLC, Hearthfire, launched on PC today, meaning that eager homebuilders can get to work constructing their dream house (or at least something resembling their dream house). Hearthfire costs the same on Steam as it does on Xbox 360 – $5 – and for that paltry amount, you get to buy up plots of land, collect raw materials, and then use those materials to build a house, which could potentially include things like a greenhouse or an armory. You can also move your spouse into your freshly-built home and, if you really want your Skyrim experience to mirror real life, adopt children.

That’s all well and good, but while Xbox 360 and PC players are enjoying both Dawnguard and Hearthfire, they’re still nowhere to be seen on PS3. Unfortunately, it looks like that will remain the case for a least a while longer, as Bethesda VP of PR and marketing Pete Hines says that there isn’t anything new to report as far as PS3 DLC is concerned. “I don’t have any info on Hearthfire, Dawnguard, or DLC in general for PS3,” Hines said on Twitter. “We’re still on it. Will share update when I have one.”

Bethesda’s issues with Skyrim on PS3 have been well documented. First, there was that particularly nasty save bug that bloated save files to the point where lag made the game unplayable on PS3, and now, the studio is having some issues porting its Skyrim DLC to the console. Bethesda stays away from specifics when talking about its DLC problems on PS3, so we’re not sure exactly what the studio is dealing with, but we do know that the problems are severe enough that Sony had to step in to lend a helping hand.

Sadly, it’s looking increasingly likely that PS3 players won’t get any Skyrim DLC at all. Bethesda said that it won’t release Dawnguard or Hearthfire on PS3 in a broken state if it can’t solve these issues, and the lack of significant updates suggests that progress is slow-going at best. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed and watching for more updates from Hines and Bethesda, so keep it tuned to SlashGear for more information.

Skyrim: Hearthfire now on PC, no new updates on Dawnguard PS3 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nintendo is preparing the enter the realm of DLC, and one of the first games that will be getting additional content is New Super Marios Bros. 2. Nintendo detailed the first three DLC packs for New Super Mario Bros. 2 during the latest Nintendo Direct webstream, and even though they seem to be priced very reasonably, you’re not going to find much value if you aren’t a fan of the game’s Coin Rush mode.

That’s because all three of these DLC packs add levels for Coin Rush mode, so if you purchase them, you’ll have a lot of coin collecting in your future. The first had been dubbed “Gold Mario Go! Go! Pack” and will add three new Coin Rush levels. This is the easiest of the three DLC packs, which all apparently vary in difficulty. It also has a total of 30,000 coins for you to collect, so even though this is easy, you’ll have a lot of work ahead of if you want to collect every single one of those coins.

The second, “Challenge the Record A Pack,” will post your top scores on Nintendo’s website, so we’re also seeing Nintendo experiment with the idea of leaderboards with this DLC offering. There are three time trial levels to conquer in this pack, though there isn’t any word on the difficulty or number of coins. The third and final pack is called “Survival Panic Pack,” and features three levels once again. As you may have already guessed, this is the most difficult of the three, so expect some frustration when it comes to completing the levels contained in it.

There isn’t any word on western release dates yet, but all three DLC packs will be available in Japan on October 2. Each will cost 200 yen, which is right around $2.50, so Nintendo is keeping the price low with these DLC packs. Keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more information, as we’ll update you once Nintendo starts talking release dates for the US and Europe!

[via Nintendo]

First New Super Mario Bros 2 DLC detailed is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.