I love those goodies that come with the pre-order. In this case, it is 2x free t-shirts, 1x Tote bag and 1x 3D cover art. The full soundtrack and bonus mission are all digital download.

Box – Front

Box – Back

3D Cover Art

Inner Box – Front

Inner Box – Back

DVD

Manuals

Free T-Shirts

Free Tote Bag

Leading Gaming Service Expands to Mac Platform

Valve announced today it will bring Steam, Valve’s gaming service, and Source, Valve’s gaming engine, to the Mac.

Steam and Valve’s library of games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series will be available in April.

“As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality Internet clients,” said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. “The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services.”

“Our Steam partners, who are delivering over a thousand games to 25 million Steam clients, are very excited about adding support for the Mac,” said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve. “Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac. We expect most developers and publishers to take advantage of Steam Play.”

“We looked at a variety of methods to get our games onto the Mac and in the end decided to go with native versions rather than emulation,” said John Cook, Director of Steam Development. “The inclusion of WebKit into Steam, and of OpenGL into Source gives us a lot of flexibility in how we move these technologies forward. We are treating the Mac as a tier-1 platform so all of our future games will release simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360. Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates. Furthermore, Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth. We fully support a heterogeneous mix of servers and clients. The first Mac Steam client will be the new generation currently in beta testing on Windows.”

Portal 2 will be Valve’s first simultaneous release for Mac and Windows. “Checking in code produces a PC build and Mac build at the same time, automatically, so the two platforms are perfectly in lock-step,” said Josh Weier, Portal 2 Project Lead. “We’re always playing a native version on the Mac right alongside the PC. This makes it very easy for us and for anyone using Source to do game development for the Mac.”

Support for the Mac in Source and Steamworks is available to third parties immediately

Press Release: Valve to Deliver Steam & Source on the Mac

This post is about the Wii Birthday Party Bash. I am going to review this game when my friends come over my house on the 1st August 2009 for a Wii party, we called it the Games Day! The packaging is excellent, this is no doubt the best packaging I have seen for a Wii game.

Here is a snippet from the press release

Birthday Party Bash provides a unique and entertaining way to host a child’s birthday celebration, offering state-of-the-art party games that can be enjoyed by up to 12 children at a time on the Wii. By modernising classics like Pin The Tail On The Donkey, Sack Race, Musical Chairs and 19 other traditional birthday games, it’s the perfect way to host a memorable and fun birthday party – without breaking the bank. The birthday boy or girl can also choose from ten party theme rooms for an unforgettable experience, from “Pirates,” complete with sword and treasure chest, to “Princess,” with a royal castle and magical unicorn.

The Invitation Card (Front)

The Invitation Card (Back)

The Mysterious Box

The Mysterious Box Opened

What Is The Game About? (Front)

What Is The Game About? (Back)

Wii Birthday Party Bash (Front)

Wii Birthday Party Bash (Back)

Wii Birthday Party Bash (Inside)

I would like to thank Fiona from Take 2 Asia for the game!

Official Site: Birthday Party Bash
Gamespot: Birthday Party Bash

Behold disciples of Nod, the end is soon upon us. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that, after almost 15 years and 30 million games sold, EALA is bringing the award-winning Tiberium series to an epic conclusion with Command & Conquer 4. Shipping in 2010, Command & Conquer 4 will introduce a multitude of innovations to the to the classic fast and fluid Command & Conquer gameplay while retaining the core compulsions that fans have come to love over the series’ history. Introducing new class-based gameplay, mobile bases and persistent player progression throughout all game modes, Command & Conquer 4 offers players new, innovative and compelling strategic depth.

…

The story of Command & Conquer 4 takes place after the events of the critically acclaimed Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. The year is 2062 and humanity is at the brink of extinction. With only six years left until the mysterious crystalline structure Tiberium renders the earth entirely uninhabitable, the two opposing factions – Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod – inevitably find themselves in desperation for the same cause: to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind. The unthinkable becomes reality and Nod’s enigmatic leader Kane takes off for GDI headquarters. What is Kane planning in the heart of his enemies’ base? Command & Conquer 4 draws the epic conclusion to the beloved Tiberium universe, where fans will learn the fate of Earth, Nod, Tiberium, GDI and most importantly, Kane’s motivations behind his decade-long plan.

In addition to the two campaigns on the epic battles of GDI and Nod, which players will get to conquer alone or in a cooperative mode, Command & Conquer 4 will also feature a new 5v5 objective-based multiplayer mode, promoting teamwork and cooperation and delivering a social real-time-strategy experience never seen before in a Command & Conquer 4 game.

View: Press Release
Official Site: Command & Conquer 4

What is Video Games Live?
Video Games Live – the biggest and most popular video game concert in the world debuts in Singapore!
This is a concert event put on by the video game industry to help encourage and support the culture and art that video games have become. Video Games Live (VGL) bridges a gap for entertainment by exposing new generations of music lovers and fans to the symphonic orchestral experience while also providing a completely new and unique experience for families and/or non-gamers. The show is heralded and enjoyed by the entire family. It’s the power & emotion of a symphony orchestra mixed with the excitement and energy of a rock concert and the technology and interactivity of a video game all completely synchronized to amazing cutting edge video screen visuals, state-of-the-art lighting and special on-stage interactive segments with the audience.

VGL quickly became the biggest and most popular game concert in the world. The debut performance was launched on 6 July 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic. Over 11,000 people attended making it the biggest video game concert in the world. Most of the game music played (Halo, Sonic, Metal Gear Solid, Mario, Zelda, Warcraft, Tomb Raider, Myst, Kingdom Hearts, Tron, God of War, EverQuest II, Medal of Honor, Headhunter, Beyond Good & Evil, Advent Rising, etc.) had never been performed live.

VGL is not just a concert, but a celebration of the entire video game industry that people of all ages will adore. Created and produced by Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico, Guinness Record holder for prolificacy in video game composing, VGL is a tribute to video games culture over the last three decades. The concert will stage music and footage from the most popular video games from past to present, including Mario, Halo, Final Fantasy, WarCraft, Sonic, Metal Gear Solid, Interactive Space Invaders, Diablo III, Metroid, Pac-Man, Kingdom Hearts, Castlevania, Zelda and many more.

Do check out Sheylara, Hillary, Nicole and Nicholas blog post about Video Games Live as well.

Official Site: Video Games Live Singapore
Buy Tickets: SISTIC

The 3 of us, myself, Suqin and Kelvin (for his girlfriend’s birthday) bought the Wii together. We thought that buying 3 Wii together there would be discount, but unfortunately that is not the case. I spent a total of SGD$390 on this while Suqin and Kelvin each spend SGD$378 because they did not get the 3rd party component cable. Hong Jun also helped to inject some money into the economy by buying Wii Fit (that will be my next buy) and Weiquan bought some board games.

Price Breakdown

• Wii Korean Set (English): SGD$309
• Wii Nunchuck: SGD$26
• Wii Wiimote: SGD$48
• 3rd Party Wii Component Cable: SGD$12
• Discount of SGD$5
• Total: SGD$390

Box

Extra Wiimote/Nunchuck

3rd Party Wii Component Cable

Love The “Layers” Numbering

Layer 1

Layer 2

Nintendo Wii Contents

Bioshock For Xbox 360

Civilization Revolution For Xbox 360

Bioshock 2 will be released sometime in September 2009 and it will be on the cover page on April’s issue of Game Informer.

I would like to thank Fiona from 2K Games for the games she sent me (I know she does read my blog). THANK YOU Fiona! Catch up sometime soon!

Links:

• Official Site: Take 2 Games
• Official Site: Bioshock
• Official Site: Civilization Revolution

Remember to bring along the receipt together with the game. I did not bring because it was not stated and that was a wasted trip!

Original State

Front

Back

Inside

At night, my good friend Paranoia aka Benjamin MSN me saying that the shop he pre-ordered from, Game Score which is located in Funan, has already called him asking him to come down and collect it today. I was quite pissed off with Mega Multimedia after that and I intended to call them in the morning to clarify. But before I could call them, they called me this morning and asked me to collect my pre-ordered SF4 as it is already in the store and told me over the phone that the price is SGD$85. So I thought on top of that, I will get another SGD$5 discount which makes it SGD$80, but the guy say SGD$85 is already the discounted price.

In the afternoon, Benjamin text me saying he also bought it at SGD$85 and told me that it is the standard retail price for those who pre-ordered. Mega Multimedia should not have told me that if I pre-order I will get a SGD$5 discount but instead should say that the pre-order price is SGD$85!

I went down to Jurong Point before my class and collected my SF4, the price was correct which is SGD$85. I will never buy anything from Mega Multimedia from today onwards, that will be my first and last purchase from them.

Front

Back

CD

Manual

PS: If you got the Xbox 360 version of Street Fighter IV, just bring that down to either Funan’s Challenger or VivoCity’s Best Denki (11am till 6pm) and show them the game and you will get a free calendar, while stock last.

The default bundles is really lousy!

SGD$119 for the Officer’s pack which includes the Premier Edition and the Dicota Bag.

SGD$219 for the Commander’s Pack which includes the Dicota Bag, Premier Edition, Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gaming Keyboard and Red Alert 3 Garskin custom keyboard decals.

EA, please listen to this! Nobody wants all those stupid bundles judging from the posts in Hardware Zone Forums. People just want the standalone Premier Edition, nothing else.

Pictures time!

Tint Box (Front)

Tint Box (Back)

Tint Box + Plastic Cover (Front)

Tint Box + Plastic Cover (Back)

Poster, Manual, Warhammer Online CD Key, C&C Future Beta CD Key

Music Disc

Bonus Disc + Game Disc

Introduction
Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.

When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram’s Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells – and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.

Features
Explore a fully-realized Sanctuary – the living, breathing gothic fantasy world of Diablo III rendered in gorgeous 3D.

Battle the unholy forces of the Burning Hells with all-new character classes like the otherworldly Witch Doctor, or with re-imagined warriors from Diablo’s past: such as the fierce Barbarian.

Rain Hell on your enemies wielding the interactive environment as a weapon: lay cunning traps, turn destructible objects against your foes, and use environmental obstacles to your advantage – all powered by the Havoc physics system.

Experience the intensity of multiplayer Diablo III over an all-new, wickedly-enhanced Battle.net platform with numerous enhancements to make connecting with your friends easier – and cooperative gameplay more fun.

Go: Diablo III Official Site

You may want to go to the Diablo III Media Page to see the goodness first.

Read: Diablo III Press Release

The prices of the Xbox 360 Arcade and Xbox 360 Elite will be lowered too. The Xbox 360 Arcade is now SGD$399 (previously SGD$459) and the Xbox 360 Elite with 120 GB hard drive is now SGD$699 (previously SGD$799).

This price drop is part of Microsoft’s ongoing strategy to bring high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience, with great experiences for everyone.

With over 270 high definition games now available in Singapore, consumers will be able to enjoy the vast array of games that satisfy the most avid and casual enthusiast. These include access to over 40 exclusive blockbuster titles such as “Halo 3″(MGS), “Lost Odyssey” (MGS), “Ninja Gaiden 2″ (Tecmo), “Frontlines: Fuel of War” (THQ), “Naruto: Rise of a Ninja” (Ubisoft), “Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation” (Namco Bandai), and many more.

Consumers will also be able to take their gaming and entertainment experience to a whole new level by connecting to Xbox LIVE, the world’s leading console online gaming platform with over 10 million members. With the ability to play with other gamers, download new game content, preview and demo upcoming games, play over 100 Xbox LIVE Arcade games, display your gaming prowess and so much more, Xbox LIVE brings a new level of interactivity never seen before in console gaming.

Xbox 360 also offers the most choice in gaming and entertainment experiences with a carefully selected range of high quality accessories. Distract your friends as you sneak by them in-game with the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset; race with virtuosity with the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, and get online without wires with the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adaptor.

For more information about upcoming Xbox 360 news and events in Singapore, please visit your local website at www.xbox.com.sg

Source: This press release was emailed to me by Ian.

You can check out the different Xbox 360 Consoles here.

Xbox 360 Pro Console (Halo 3 Edition)

Inside The Box, There Is Another Box, Wireless Controller And Halo 3

Inside “The Another Box”

Contents Included In Xbox 360 Pro Console

The Console Itself

When Placed In My Room With My 32″ Television

I think I am going to get my copy of Block Breaker Deluxe. Just love that game.

We are live! The games, the devices, and the community are all here for you to finally get your teeth into. The Forums are back up and the new N-Gage application is here.

There will be an official announcement on Monday, but for you, the N-Gage faithful we wanted to let you know were up and running! So come join our moderators in the Forums for our launch party, and start enjoying the next generation of mobile gaming.

Source: N-Gage’s Blog

Kane’s Wrath Game + Razor Deathadder Mouse

Razor Deathadder Mouse

Kane’s Wrath Box Contents

Tiberium Wars + Kane’s Wrath

I did not even complete Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars because my computer will restart every 15 minutes once I tried to play the game, which I think is due to my graphics card (ATI Radeon X800XT) heat issue. I bought this game to collect it and once my new computer comes in June 2008, it is time to play.

Source: Hardware Zone Forums

…

In Red Alert 3, the desperate leadership of a doomed Soviet Union travels back in time to change history and restore the glory of Mother Russia. The time travel mission goes awry, creating an alternate timeline where technology has followed an entirely different evolution, a new superpower has been thrust on to the world stage, and World War III is raging. The Empire of the Rising Sun has risen in the East, making World War III a three-way struggle between the Soviets, the Allies, and the Empire with armies fielding wacky and wonderful weapons and technologies like Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks.

Red Alert 3 asks the question ‘What If?’ What if every bizarre research project and technology experiment for the last 70 years had actually borne fruit? What if the Philadelphia Experiment, time travel theory, teleportation, invisibility, Tesla technology, and a hundred other intriguing research projects had all paid off and gone mainstream? What if the Soviet Union survived and thrived; what would it look like 10 years in the future? What if the Japanese Empire had never fallen and instead became the ultimate high-tech military superpower? The end result is an imaginative and playful vision of an alternate future filled with possibility.

Source: Press Release
Official Site: Red Alert
Gamespot: Red Alert 3 (With Screenshots)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. & PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Activision, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI – News) and Vivendi (Euronext Paris: VIV) today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to combine Vivendi Games, Vivendi’s interactive entertainment business — which includes Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, the world’s #1 multi-player online role-playing game franchise — with Activision, creating the world’s largest pure-play online and console game publisher. The new company, Activision Blizzard, is expected to have approximately $3.8 billion in pro forma combined calendar 2007 revenues and the highest operating margins of any major third-party video game publisher. On closing of the transaction, Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard and will continue to operate as a public company traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ATVI.

Source: Press Release @ Yahoo

Midway and Epic today announced that Unreal Tournament 3 has gone to gold master for the PC. Developed by the team behind the critically acclaimed video game Gears of War, Unreal Tournament 3 is currently scheduled to ship in North America on November 19th for the PC with a suggested retail price of $49.95 and $59.95 for the collector’s edition. The PlayStation 3 version will follow soon. Unreal Tournament fans can get a taste of the compelling first person shooter by checking out the previously released single-player trailer below, or download the beta demo.

About Unreal Tournament 3
Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the world’s premiere first-person shooter to the PC, and its debut on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense battles with other human players online, or against Unreal artificial intelligence that sets the industry standard. With the most powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best!

Source: BeyondUnreal Forums – Unreal Tournament 3: Gold!

Source: Finally: Street Fighter 4 Confirmed

Note: Original source by Games Rader, but the article has been removed.