Bethesda’s Blog contains an image, and reveals that the new content will be available on Xbox 360 sometime in the summer. No further details are available this early on (figures), but E3 should give us more. In case you didn’t see it, the full image is provided below.

Many are looking forward to new areas for exploration, while others just want more ways to kill things. It would be nice to explore Cyrodiil or Morrowind again, while more weapons, spells and shouts would be awesome.

Well, what do you think? What are you hoping for with Skyrim’s first DLC package? Speak your mind in the comments.

All I can think of are those stupid quick time events. I hate them. They happened about every five seconds, meaning every five seconds, a little part of me died. I felt as though game developers had completely given up on making a decent Dragon Ball Z game. Today, I found a spark of hope.

I discovered a listing on Walmart.com for something called “Dragon Ball Z HD.” There is no product image, but there is a $60 pricetag. This means that it should be a full disc-based release. Strangely, though, the only platform listed is Xbox 360.

Upon further investigation, I found that there is a DBZ game being developed specifically for the Kinect. This one is also on Walmart.com, costing $20 less. According to sources, it will allow you to project your persona into the game and engage fighters from the DBZ universe. Apparently, it’s aiming to be a single player only experience. The roster currently holds over 50 characters, plus some unlockables.

This suggests that there are currently two separate games being produced, both of which are currently exclusive to the Xbox 360. What are these guys up to?

As for Dragon Ball Z HD, some fans are hoping that it will be a Boudokai Tenkaichi 3 remake, which would actually be awesome if some improvements were added. For example, 16:9 format would be great. With multiplayer being played on a vertical split, it would make a world of difference. Of course, we want fully functional online play, as well. Better tournament setups and the ability to have more than two fighters in the ring, something Tenkaichi Tag Team did fairly well, would make multiplayer even more awesome.

For now, all we can do is wait. Let’s hope we don’t have another failure on our hands.

How do you feel about a new DBZ game? Will you give it a try? Shout out in the comments.

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to read part 1, and come back for part 3.

NES Edition, Part 1

NES Edition, Part 3 (in progress)

SNES Edition (in progress)

N64 Edition (in progress)

Castlevania II:  Simon’s Quest

Castlevania holds a special place in my heart, especially the first one. I was hoping to put it on the list, but it honestly wasn’t that expensive. Castlevania II, however, will drain you of about $239.00. I sure hope you like staring at a picture of a guy with a whip, looking like he’s about to get eaten by Drac in the background there, because if you open this sucker, the price is going to drop to under five bucks.

By the way, you might want to go downtown and apply for foodstamps, because the fridge is looking pretty empty, and nobody likes plain white rice. At least not anybody important.

Current collection value:  $1,523.63

Zelda II:  The Adventure of Link

Zelda rocks. Don’t take that the wrong way; I’m talking about the game, not the princess. When The Adventure of Link was released, people were excited for another chance to brave the fields of Hyrule, only to be slapped in the face with the side scrolling action of the sequel. If fans could get past the fact that the formula was changed entirely, though, there was plenty of fun to be had.

You can get Zelda II for a pretty low price, but prestige has it’s price. That price happens to be $244.99. Salvation Army is paying this month’s electric bill for sure, right? I sure hope so.

Current collection value:  $1,768.62

Punch-Out!!

This edition of Punch-Out!! could cost you up to $249.00, which is a pretty penny for collectors. But that’s nothing compared to the Special Edition, which costs over $400… used.

The Special Edition was released in Japan before any other version, and doesn’t even feature Mike Tyson or Mr. Dream as the final fight. It’s some dude called Super Macho Man, which sounds like a name they tried to come up with for Mario (or his mustache) before they realized that was completely stupid.

There were only 10,000 copies of the Special Edition ever made, and they were given out as prizes for a Nintendo Golf Competition in Japan. There are no new copies, so it means that the value will not go down if you were to play it on the Famicom, but you’d still be paying over $400 to NOT get punched in the teeth by Tyson. But, the pricetag is a blow to the nuts itself, so I guess it evens out in the end.

Because of the fact that it’s so difficult to get a hold of the Special Edition, we’re going to go with the $249 version for this collection. The truth is, though, that you had better be asking some relatives for help with your bills, and you’re going to need a good excuse, otherwise they’re just going to laugh and call you an idiot (which you are).

Current collection value:  $2,017.62

Super Mario Bros 3

Mario is the face of Nintendo, and no matter what PETA has to say about the Tanooki suit in Mario 3, this particular game is awesome. It had all kinds of new power ups and secrets, and some of us spent half our childhoods showing off how to beat the game in less than an hour using the whistles. On top of that, the overhead map was nothing short of astonishing in its time.

If you’re willing to spend at least $249.00, you can have Mario with raccoon ears and tail preserved in plastic forever. For some reason that just sounds strange. In any case, it looks like you might have to sell some of your foodstamps to get the cash for this piece. It’s cool though; you can always go hunt raccoons for food.

Current collection value:  $2,266.62

Metal Gear

Solid Snake is the man. He is awesome incarnate. When it comes to stealth games, Metal Gear more or less defined the genre. Maybe not right away, but when Metal Gear Solid came out, people knew where to go to get some good espionage time. The original game was released on NES some time after it originally came out, and is famous for the core story, developing some iconic characters, and giving us some blatant Engrish (I feel asleep!!).

For the (not so) low price of $298.92,  you can have the original adventure in the factory packaging. You’re going to have to be as sneaky as Snake right about now, otherwise the relatives that let you borrow money to “pay your bills” are going to have large, loud exclamation marks popping up above their heads. Then they’re going to beat you with them.

That wraps up NES Part 2. Stay tuned for Part 3.

Hardships are a part of life

This is probably one thing that every video game teaches us. There is a fixed goal and you have to go through many hardships to reach that goal. For example, for Mario, the goal is to get to princess Peach; for Link, the goal is princess Zelda. Many of us sulk because we have to get up early, get ready and go to work! That in itself is a hardship. But think about the video game characters and their hardships! Ah what a relief, right?

Team play

Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games teach us the importance of a team. Take the new World of Tanks for example, you are a part of 30 tanks team in the game and you will have to co-ordinate with other players to win. What about the various sports games we have today? FIFA World Cup 2010 is the perfect example which teaches people the importance of teams.

Planning leads to Success

Strategy is the most important part of any MMO game. You have to have a plan in hand to go fight against an enemy. The players who go ahead with a plan will always have a better rate of success than the ones without it. War games in particular work only on strategies. Games like Age of Empires and Total War are some of the best examples of strategy based games.

Try, Try Again and Again

Video games teach us how not to lose hope, if we lose in the first attempt. Mario jumps off into oblivion between the walls but still you get one more chance to play. What is important here is that no matter how many times we fail in games, we still get chances to play. So no matter how many times you fail, keep trying because in one of these attempts, you will definitely succeed.

Overcoming fear

Batman fights Harley Quinn, Bane and joker all by himself in Batman: Arkham Asylum to protect Gotham City from these notorious evils. He isn’t afraid of the asylum and its inmates. There are always few things we will always be afraid to do in life. But video games teach us that no matter how bad those fears are, you will have to fight them in order to be successful.

There are many things we learn from games. Some things we consciously notice and learn, while other we learn without our own knowledge. So the next time you are playing a game, don’t play just to have fun, to pass time or to bust stress, play it to learn something new.

Guest post by Penny Copper, who is a representative of BB Guns

If you’re one of the many who spent their teen years mastering the incredibly complex combos of GunZ: The Duel, chances are you are already eagerly awaiting the release of its cleverly named sequel – GunZ 2: The Second Duel. If you are not, you might want to read this to find out what all the fuss is about.

First released in 2003, the original GunZ was a free-to-play third person shooter that drew inspiration from action movies such as The Matrix. The game allowed you to perform gravity-defying stunts and acrobatics, block bullets using swords and having enough health to be able to, without trouble, take a dozen bullets to the chest (or arrows. . . no, let’s not go there). Much like in Street Fighter II, GunZ’s game engine allows complex animation canceling maneuvers (known in-game as K-Style).

These heavily-stylized gameplay mechanics made GunZ instantly popular in its native South Korea. At one time, the game was so popular that it became a viable competitive eSports discipline in the country, alongside legendary games like StarCraft: Brood War and WarCraft 3 (here‘s a video of a televised tournament).

The game was first published in the Western Hemisphere in 2005 by its original developer. A year later, seeing potential in the peculiar title, the free-to-play giant IJJI contacted MAIET and secured exclusive rights to publish GunZ in North America.To this day GunZ still played by thousands of players every day, nearly nine years after release.

MAIET announced the sequel in 2010, alongside their new action-oriented MMORPG called RaiderZ. A working alpha build of the game was presented to the public at G-STAR 2011 (here’s a link to the gameplay footage). Release dates are yet to be announced.   From the footage we’ve had access to so far, it’s safe to say that MAIET wasn’t afraid to experiment with the title. New gameplay mechanics were added, old, dysfunctional mechanics were taken out. This decision split the GunZ current community into two camps – those who look forward to the changes and purists that condemn the developer from straying away from the classic formula. Regardless of the fanbase split, licenses for its release have already been bought in South Korea, Japan and China.

We will be posting news about the game as they become available. See you in Axium!

Zenimax recently filed for a trademark on something called Dawnguard. Here is a direct quote from that page, under the Goods and/or Services section:  ”Computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices.” Of course, that alone isn’t enough to determine exactly what it is, but it gives us a pretty good idea, and we can sure speculate and start some firey rumors.

When talking about DLC for Skyrim, Todd Howard said in December that they are focusing on “ways to make the game better, not just have more, because the game is so big.” He assures us any and all releases will have “a lot of meat on them.”

For now, we can only watch, wonder and hope. My personal hope is that the rumors about the possibility of players being able to travel to Cyrodiil or Morrowind will come to fruition. I would love to see how the Imperial City has changed over a period of a couple hundred years. It’s possible that it could be related to the Mythic Dawn, the cult responsible for the assassination of Emperor Uriel Spetim VII during the events of Oblivion. But once again, we only have so much to go on.

As soon as we hear more, you know where to go to get updated. We’ll be waiting.

What are you hoping for with Skyrim DLC? Make some noise in the comments and let us know.

Well, ZeniMax posted a recent job listing for an iOS Programmer. Along with other requirements, the position demands “experience with iOS game development with multiple titles shipped.” In Februrary 2009, Todd Howard announced via Twitter that Bethesda was working on an iPhone game.

What could it be? A mobile version of Morrowind or Oblivion, perhaps? Or one of the Fallout games? Maybe something entirely new? We really don’t know, but it seems as though nearly anything is possible these days with the iOS, especially if the iPad 3 is all it’s cracked up to be.

If you want to stay updated, keep coming back here. We’ll get the good scoops, just for you.

Holy crap!

May? That’s less than two months away from now. Most of us haven’t even beaten Skyrim more than once. If the game actually comes out soon, how are we going to balance perfecting our second/third/twentieth character’s perk setup in Skyrim and keeping up in the MMO? Our social lives are going to be entirely destroyed. But then again, who cares? With virtually real virtual friends you don’t need real friends!

According to the information provided, the title will be Elder Scrolls Online, and will most likely be set during the Second Era, which is a few hundred years before any of the currently existing Elder Scrolls games. There will be three playable factions, each one having the distinct symbol of a lion, a dragon, and an unidentified bird of prey. Details on how the faction system will work and how they affect gameplay are unavailable at this time.

Not many more details are available after that, but this is pretty big news. After Bethesda won the legal battle with Interplay and tore down their ambitions for Fallout Online, we were all a bit heartbroken, but hopefully this will make up for it.

As soon as we know more, you’ll find it here.

Anyway, Skyrim’s 1.5 update is bringing some cool new stuff to the table. Currently, a beta version of the patch can be downloaded on Steam for PC users. A PS3 and Xbox 360 release will be coming a bit later.

Aside from some much needed bug fixes, we will be getting kill cameras for ranged attacks, as well as some new kill animations for melee weapons. Want a sneak peek? Here you go:

In case the embedded video doesn’t work, here’s a link to it on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A7ZJq9GclI

Listed below are all of the things Bethesda is fixing/updating (copied directly from www.elderscrolls.com).

NEW FEATURES

- New cinematic kill cameras for projectile weapons and spells

- New kill moves and animations for melee weapons

- Shadows on grass available (PC)

- Smithing skill increases now factor in the created item’s value

- Improved visual transition when going underwater

- Improved distance LOD transition for snowy landscapes

BUG FIXES

- General crash fixes and memory optimizations

- Fixed issue with Deflect Arrows perk not calculating properly

- In “A Cornered Rat,” the death of certain NPCs no longer blocks progression

- Fixed issue where Farkas would not give Companion’s quests properly

- Fixed crash when loading saves that rely on data that is no longer being loaded

- Followers sneak properly when player is sneaking

- Fixed issue with weapon racks not working properly in Proudspire Manor

- Arrows and other projectiles that were stuck in objects in the world now clean up properly

- Fixed issue where “Rescue Mission” was preventing “Taking Care of Business” from starting properly

- Fixed issue where certain NPCs would fail to become Thieves Guild fences

- Fixed issue in “Diplomatic Immunity” where killing all the guards in the Thalmor Embassy before starting the quest would break progress

- In “Hard Answers,” picking up the dwarven museum key after completing the quest, no longer restarts the quest

- Killing Viola before or after “Blood on the Ice” no longer blocks progression

- Fixed issue where Calixto would fail to die properly in “Blood on the Ice”

- In “Waking Nightmare” fixed occasional issue where Erandur would stop pathing properly

- Fixed issue where letters and notes with random encounters would appear blank

- Fixed rare issue where dialogue and shouts would improperly play

- Lydia will now offer marriage option after player purchases Breezehome in Whiterun

- Fixed issue where if player manually mined ore in Cidhna Mine, jail time would not be served

- Fixed rare issue with skills not increasing properly

- Fixed issue where the Headsman’s Axe did not gain proper buff from Barbarian perk

- In “A Night to Remember” it is no longer possible to kill Ysolda, Ennis or Senna before starting the quest

- Fixed issue with the ebony dagger having a weapon speed that was too slow

- Fixed issue with “The Wolf Queen Awakened” where backing out of a conversation with Styrr too soon would block progress

- The third level of the Limbsplitter perk now properly improves all battle axes

- Fixed a rare issue where Sanguine Rose would not work properly

- In “Tending the Flames” King Olaf’s Verse will no longer disappear from explosions

I’m especially excited for the update to smithing (hopefully no more leveling to 100 in an hour with iron daggers). For more details, or instructions on how to download the beta version for Steam, head over to www.elderscrolls.com

After you’re done, don’t forget to check out other articles from this series.

NES Edition, Part 2

NES Edition, Part 3  (In progress)

SNES Edition (In progress)

N64 Edition  (In progress)

If you think $60 is a bit pricey for a new PS3 or Xbox 360 game, you have no idea what it’s like for collectors of the classics. Today, we will be detailing a few top picks for the Nintendo Entertainment System that, if bought, may require you to choose between the prestige of owning a classic game still in the package and eating.

So, imagine you’re a working class citizen, making about $20,000 a year (a little over $1,600 a month), and a collector of classic games. How much will it cost you to get all of the good, expensive ones still in the package, and what kind of impact will it have on your life? That’s what we’re here to find out.

We will not be collecting every single super expensive NES game or collectible; only the ones that we consider true classics. Odd rarities have been reserved for another article. The games we’re looking for will still cost you quite a bit, though. To make sure we don’t end up with too many games, we’ll only do the classics that, when in brand new condition, have a current market value of over $100. You might be able to get used copies at cheaper prices, but why would you do that? You’re a collector.

To get things started, though, you’ll need a brand new NES console! Don’t worry, it’s only $400.00.

 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt

I’ll start you in easy. This one isn’t as expensive as what’s to come, so it might not cost you a month’s rent (unless your place REALLY sucks), but your electricity bill better be paid up. This oldie could cost you up to $139.00 for a new copy. At least if you’re buying this new, you won’t be paying over $100 to have that stupid dog laugh at you while you throw the gun at the screen. If you do, you’re an idiot.

At this point, you’re probably just negotiating a payment plan for your utilities, and trying to get your landlord to waive the late fee on the rent, but you’re not doing too bad. You’ll just bounce back next month, as long as you don’t buy any more classic games, right?

Current collection value:  $539.00

Battletoads

This, my friend, is a true classic. A good old beat ‘em up with lots of gameplay variety, fun levels to navigate, and a hilarious concept. It’s only slightly more expensive than the Mario Bros./Duck Hunt combo, coming in at $154.00 if you’re looking to score a copy still in the shrink wrap.

I’d probably pay that much for this game, if it weren’t for the overwhelming urge to take it out of the packaging and try to beat that stupid speedbike level, the concept of which was probably devised by Satan himself. If you can resist that urge, though, you can be the proud owner of a classic collector’s item that probably caused thousands of players to break their TV’s out of anger.

Okay so you’re going to miss this month’s electricity bill entirely. So what? They usually give you an extra month to get it paid, so you’ll be fine.

Current collection value:  $693.00

Kung Fu

This little gem was one of the earliest releases for the NES, and was a fun sidescrolling action game. Despite the fact that you could beat the last boss by simply crouching and performing a low kick while he walked into your foot of doom, Kung Fu screamed replay value. This is because, though you could beat it in a ridiculously short amount of time, getting a high score meant you had to be a near perfect player, and every time you won, it started you over at a higher difficulty level.

You can get it for a few dollars, but if you want a minty fresh, unopened copy, it’ll cost you $178.64. Careful, though, because now you’re gonna be having trouble with the water bill, too. I suppose you could spend the extra just this once; as long as you’re nice and conservative next month, you’ll have the extra money to pay it off.

Current collection value:  $871.64

Dragon Warrior

Before Final Fantasy, there was Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest in Japan). And despite the fact that the guy on the cover looks like an extra flamboyant Superman with a helmet and sword, this game was a lot of fun. A true collector’s item. Be prepared to spend though, because this one will cost you $187.99 in it’s original packaging.

You’ve spent over $1,000 now, so you’re going to try extra hard to stick to the plan; be conservative next month, and this month, you’ll have to eat light. That’s okay though, because you could probably stand to lose some weight, considering all you do is sit around and collect old games.

Current collection value:  $1,059.63

Contra

Obvious Hollywood look-alikes aside, this game was rad. You couldn’t find more frantic alien blasting anywhere on the video game market. The game’s high degree of difficulty also meant that beating it was incredibly satisfying.

Contra’s ingredients were as follows:

235 lbs of Arnie

170 lbs of Sly

1 cup of concentrated awesome

10,000,000 bullets

If you want a new copy for your exponentially costly collection, be prepared to shell out about $225.00. If you’re just looking to shoot things, you can get one for substantially less, but once again, why? You’re a collector!

You’re getting shut off notices for your utilities, but they’re still on for now. And, hey, at least you’ve still got food!

Current collection value:  $1,284.63

That’s it for NES Part 1. Move on to Part 2.