About Brandin Tyrrel

Guardians of Middle-earth continues to bolster its roster of playable heroes in rapid-fire succession, as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Productions announce Saruman the White. As Chief of the Wizards, Saruman holds dominion over the rest of the order, including Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown, both of whom have already joined the struggle for the lanes of Middle-earth.

Saruman brings powerful enchanting abilities to the battlefield with a bevy of skills designed to hinder opponents and lay down significant damage in a wide area. Using his Spies of Saruman ability, the White Wizard slows his opponent, dealing damage over time and revealing hidden enemies. For more straightforward encounters, Saruman can focus his magic for area-of-effect ability damage and a useful stun and transition from the defensive to aggressive with his bursting shield, which silences the enemy upon detonation.

Saruman marks the first downloadable character revealed since the conclusion of the Season Pass. As such, he is not accessible by those who’ve already purchased a pass and must be unlocked separately for 160 MSP. To check out Saruman laying waste across the lanes of Middle-earth, check out his official character trailer after the jump.

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Star Wars: First Assault isn’t the reincarnation of the now defunct Battlefront series like many had hoped. According to a Kotaku report citing an unnamed source who is said to be “familiar with the project,” Star Wars: First Assault is a first-person shooter consisting of 8-on-8 matches between the Rebel Alliance and Imperial Stormtroopers.

First Assault popped up on our radar last year, when LucasArts — the gaming arm of the Lucas empire — filed trademark and domain registrations for the title. It was a move that was not-so-subtly reinforced a month later when a solitary image leaked depicting a confrontation between opposing ground forces of the Star Wars universe, complete with an XBLA banner.

We’ve since suspected that Star Wars: First Assault could be the byproduct of Battlefront III, the long-rumored entry to the franchise that spent six misbegotten years in development and bounced between development studios before being unceremoniously killed. Allegedly, development on Battlefront III had been merged with Star Wars: Battlefront Online, a new iteration of the series that was designed for a console generation with an approaching expiration date and collapsed under its own weight, leaving years of assets unused.

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The newest addition to the ever-expanding roster of playable characters in Guardians of Middle-earth has waded into the fray. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment together with Monolith Productions, developer of the console-based MOBA, have announced the Barrow-wight Lord, the undead Enchanter bent on twisting and corrupting everything he sought to protect in life.

Utilizing the essence of death, the Barrow-wight Lord casts grim magics on his opponents, damaging them over time and draining their life to regenerate his own. Should he become overwhelmed and succumb to his enemies, his passive Undeath ability grants him immunity in his final hour, allowing him to teleport and envelope his opponent for significant damage.

The Barrow-wight Lord joins the already robust cast of characters perpetually battling for the lanes of Middle-earth. Available as a singular purchase for 160 MSP or included free for those with a Season Pass, the Barrow-wight Lord marks the final guardian to be included with the pass, though further purchasable content is expected to be announced at some point in the future.

As the last character freely accessible with the Season Pass, the Barrow-wight Lord brings the total number of goods therein to eight guardians and one additional mode. Added together, that’s a 1600 MSP value for the 1200 MSP price of the Season Pass. To see the Barrow-wight Lord in action, be sure to check out the character trailer after the jump.

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Publisher bitComposer Entertainment and Hungarian development studio Most Wanted Entertainment have officially delayed their upcoming Xbox Live Arcade shoot-em-up, Thunder Wolves, out of Q1 and into Q2 of this year and pulled the sheet off it in the process. As a member of the titular squad, you’ll pilot nine unique choppers through a variety of objectives ranging from stealth to escort to good old fashioned death-from-above with a devastating arsenal of weaponry.

To make the most of that ordinance, Thunder Wolves totes a fully destructible environment, promising untold calamity as you rain down fiery justice from your whirring metal bird of death. In the process of annihilating every rebel base, shanty town or peaceful fishing village that wanders within your kill box, you’ll square off against terrorist foot soldiers, land armor of all makes and models and do battle in the skies against enemy choppers.

Eschewing any mention of online multiplayer, a local cooperation mode has been announced for Thunder Wolves instead, allowing you and a buddy to pile into an aerial death machine, forming a cohesive strike unit as one works the stick while the other mans the guns.

We’re not sure about you, but so far Thunder Wolves is looking to us strikingly reminiscent of the Strike series, and that’s a very good thing. We’ll be keeping Thunder Wolves on our radar as it approaches its new Q2 release window. Hit the jump for more images of air supremacy.

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In an interview with Eurogamer, Telltale Games’ CEO and co-founder Dan Connors touched on the next season of his studio’s critically acclaimed adaptation of The Walking Dead. “We’re aiming for …
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This past Tuesday saw the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) spotlight the third pillar of the moving image medium at its annual Games Awards ceremony in …
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Independent developer 17-BIT today announced a permanent price reduction to their recently released tactical strategy title, Skulls of the Shogun. The news comes just one month after Skulls‘ multi-platform release, slashing prices …
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The latest in a series of Dollar Dash promotional trailers from Kalypso Media Digital has surfaced, revealing the frenzied game modes you can expect to find. For the uninitiated, Dollar Dash is a top-down multiplayer action title from Candygun Games, pitting colorful pilferers against one another in a series of high-stakes hijinks to see who can make off with the most cash. Up to this point, we’ve taken a look at a few of the maps in Dollar Dash, the customizable costumes each character can don, and the creative and fun weaponry and gadgets each thief can employ in pursuit of the purse strings.

The chaotic gameplay unfolds in several game modes, showcased in the trailer after the jump. Among them are Save the Safe, in which you’ll use your wits to grab and hold the safe, keeping it out of your opponents’ reach while they try to steal your victory. Hit ‘n’ Run is an all-out brawl where thieves on the offensive must knock out the opposition through any means necessary. Lastly, Dollar Dash mode requires you to outfit an arsenal of crazy gadgetry as you try to pilfer the most cash, stashing it in your getaway car.

Dollar Dash is coming to Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday, March 6. Be sure to check back with us next week, for our official review.

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Arcade run-and-gun FPS, Serious Sam 3: BFE and its expansion downloadable content Jewel of the Nile have received a permanent trim to their price tags. Both digital offerings released simultaneously last October …
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We’ve seen a lot of Mars: War Logs‘ grungy, sun-kissed universe. Everything from cyberpunk screenshots to a serene music video, but we’ve never seen the third-person RPG in action, until today. Focus Home Interactive has released a brand new trailer showing off a combat scheme that appears strikingly similar to Batman: Arkham Asylum. So far, so good.

You’ll wade into groups of opponents, human or otherwise, swinging and firing any number of customizable weapons. You’ll dodge, duck, dip, dive and…dodge the blows and firearms of your enemies, countering attacks with precision timing. Most importantly, you’ll be able to choose your style of combat. Mars: War Logs features a three-tiered skilltree system that encompasses the holy trinity of combat styles.

If you’re a skull-cracker, the Combat tree might be your preferred choice for knock-down-drag-out brawls. The Technomant tree houses the more mystical arts, gifting you the cybernetic voodoo to hurl lighting and waves of energy from your fingertips. Lastly, for the sneaks and saboteurs, the Renegade tree might be the best fit with its emphasis on stealth takedowns and use of traps. Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to further specialize as you advance in level by earning experience for completing quests and finishing off enemies.

Hit the jump for a look at how to navigate the hostile environments of the martian planet when Mars: War Logs releases this Spring.

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