Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 also introduced the Call of Duty Elite system, which is essentially a subscription deal for players who are...very into the game, let's put it that way. This Elite system will also be used for DLC distribution, which combined with existing platform differences make the whole distribution model rather confusing.

Basically, there will be four different types of players. Xbox Elite, PS3 (and I assume PC) Elite, Xbox normal and PS3/PC normal. Elite subscribers will get the DLC first, and in smaller, more rapid packages with a map or two in each. Normal players will have to wait for DLC collections, which is likely the same type of deal that has been used for DLC in earlier years. Microsoft is still trying to compensate for the Xbox' inferior hardware by bribing game developers to give them DLC first, so Elite subscribers on Xbox will see small DLC releases first, then Elite subscribers of the other platforms, and then when that adds up to bigger releases it will be released to non-Elite players with Xbox again being first.

This seems to be a ploy to get more people to subscribe to the Elite service, but I'm wondering if the result won't be that friends simply can't play together instead because one has Elite and the other doesn't. At least the memberships are available in stores as well, making it easier for all the kids who aren't actually old enough to play the game to get past the fact that they don't have credit cards.

Anyways, the first DLC should hit Elite box subscribers on January 24th, and from there on come at least once a month.

We had the opportunity to play Mass Effect 3 during the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, and we were very impressed by what we saw. Like many hardcore gamers, we were initially skeptical when BioWare announced that the final entry to the Mass Effect trilogy would include support for Kinect for Xbox 360. Would it be really be 'better with Kinect' as the marketing campaign claims, or is it just hype?

After spending a few hours playing the game, we can honestly say that it's fantastic. Mass Effect 3 only supports Kinect's voice control features, so don't expect to kill a Reaper with your body as the controller. But what if you could order your companions to attack without bringing up the Power Wheel? What if doors could open with the power of your voice? Or what if you could immerse yourself in the game by calling out a dialog choice rather than selecting it? With Kinect, you can.

Star Wars: The Old Republic, the recently-released MMO recognized by Guinness World Records as the Largest Entertainment Voice Over Project ever, will receive its first major update in a few hours. Dubbed Rise of the Rakghouls, Game Update 1.1 will triple the size of the Karagga's Palace Operation and add a new Flashpoint called Kaon Under Siege.

Karagga's Palace now features a larger army of bounty hunters and battle droids, as well as a massive final battle. The loot has also been upgraded, especially for those playing on hard mode.

Kaon Under Siege, meanwhile, takes place on a planet ravaged by an outbreak of the Rakghoul virus. This virus, first introduced in the original Knights of the Old Republic, could spell doom for the galaxy if it is unleashed. The official trailer can be seen here.

Rise of the Rakghouls will go live on Tuesday, January 17 after a somewhat short server downtime, which is expected to last from 2:00 a.m. CST (12:00 a.m. PST/3:00 a.m. EST/8:00 a.m. GMT/9:00 a.m. CET) until 10:00 a.m. CST (8:00 a.m. PST/11:00 a.m. EST/4:00 p.m. GMT/5:00 p.m. CET).

[Star Wars: The Old Republic]

Alan Wake's American Nightmare is coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade as part of the House Party promotion, which kicks off on February 15. We got to play the game at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, and we were very pleased by what we saw. The game manages to maintain the classic Alan Wake feel while improving the combat and controls.

We also had the opportunity to interview Oskari 'Zazz' Häkkinen, Remedy Entertainment's head of franchise development for Alan Wake's American Nightmare. Check out the video above for a great summary of the game, as well as what is included in the highly-anticipated XBLA 'sequel.'

At the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, Microsoft announced that four fantastic games will be coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade as part of the House Party promotion. House Party, like Summer of Arcade, which brought gamers such classics as Bastion, will be kicked off on February 15 and deliver a new title every week: Alan Wake's American Nightmare, I Am Alive, Nexuiz, and Warp.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare is the sequel to the well-loved but under-sold Xbox 360 exclusive Alan Wake. American Nightmare is a stand-alone experience in which Alan finds himself in an episode of Night Springs, a TV show which he once wrote for. The combat has been beefed up, but fans of the story needn't worry. It doesn't exactly continue Alan's story, but it does provide a great side-experience set in Arizona. And make sure to check out the new survival mode, which we had the opportunity to play on the CES show floor. It's a lot of fun, and it should provide gamers with hours of Horde mode-like gameplay.

Game console controllers rarely outlast the consoles they came with, at least not if you're an avid gamer. No matter if you intentionally throw them against the wall after a bad round of CoD or if you just mash the buttons to pieces, these controllers tend to look rather beat up after a couple of years. Then there's dirt, which loves to take up permanent resident in every nook an cranny.

When I sold my 360 years ago, I had two such controllers left over. Dirty as heck with worn down analog sticks and taped together outer shells I found it best to not sell them with the console as they would give an inaccurate impression of how the console itself had been treated. Before Christmas I found these controllers again and decided to give them some plastic surgery.

2011 was a great year for gamers. It was arguably not as big as 2007, which brought with it such massive hits as Halo 3, Portal (The Orange Box), Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and even Rock Band, but the past year still had a fantastic selection of titles. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite games of 2011. It should be noted that these are my personal favorites, and may not represent the opinion of Talk Video Games as a whole.

Portal 2, the long-awaited sequel to the classic first-person puzzler, finally hit stores in April. The game perfectly lived up to its predecessor, expanding the game’s universe and introducing a series of hilarious and memorable characters.
After years of anticipation, Star Wars: The Old Republic launched on December 20 to great success, amassing more than one million subscribers in three days. Occasionally referred to as “Knights of the Old Republic 3-12,” the MMO allows gamers to play through a KOTOR-style story solo or in a group. The voice acting is fantastic, and the massive amount of content should keep subscribers happy for years to come.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hit store shelves just under two months ago, but gamers are already looking forward to the first piece of downloadable content (DLC). In a Roll Call video released exclusively to premium Call of Duty ELITE members shortly before Christmas, Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling revealed that the game’s initial DLC offering will be released on January 24.

Additional details are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, but we do know that the 2012 Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Content Season will kick off with the map “Park.” Other features include “Spec Ops missions and a variety of things that players have never seen before,” said Bowling.

In addition to receiving all MW3 DLC for free, premium ELITE members will have access to the content ahead of everyone else. Microsoft previously inked a multi-year exclusivity agreement with publisher Activision, ensuring that all Call of Duty DLC would hit Xbox 360 ahead of the competition. As a result, premium ELITE subscribers on Xbox 360 will receive the content first on January 24, followed by the general Xbox 360 public soon after. Premium ELITE PlayStation 3 (PS3) subscribers are expected to receive it approximately one month later, followed by the general PS3 audience and finally PC gamers.

[IGN]

Star Wars: The Old Republic, the story-driven massively multiplayer online (MMO) role playing game from industry veteran BioWare, has managed to amass one million subscribers in just three days on the market. The game has been in beta for a few years now--first as a private beta and more recently as a semi-public beta--but it officially launched on December 20 after a one-week Early Access Program for those who pre-ordered the game.

World of Warcraft (WoW), by comparison, currently has more than 10 million subscribers. The Old Republic’s launch membership is quite small by comparison, but it is excellent for a brand-new MMO. In fact, BioWare had the “largest one-day subscription account registration process in MMO history” on Thursday. Other statistics include more than 28 million in-game hours, an average of five hours of gameplay per day, and 3.8 million characters created so far.

Most impressively, the game’s servers have continued to function normally throughout all of this. Some of the more popular servers are experiencing 5-10 minute wait times during peak hours of the day, but it isn’t usually a problem. BioWare appears to have a hit on its hands. Between the fantastic Star Wars setting, BioWare’s trademark storytelling, and engaging gameplay, The Old Republic should have no problem competing in the MMO space.

Microsoft is celebrating the end of the year with style, counting down the last 12 days of December with some excellent deals on great Xbox 360 content.

The company kicked off the promotion on Tuesday with 50% off Bastion, a critically acclaimed Xbox LIVE Arcade game. Each subsequent day until New Year's will feature a different 24-hour discount on a select item.

Of course, that's not all. Eight Xbox LIVE Arcade games, two full titles from Games on Demand, a game add-on season pass, and 14 Avatar items will also be sold at a discount until January 2, 2012. Most of the deals are 50% off the regular price, and highlights include Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, the LA Noire Rockstar Pass, and Portal: Still Alive.

With the holidays and plenty of vacation almost upon us, it's the perfect opportunity to spend some time with a few great games. Information on the latest deal can be found on the recently revamped Xbox 360 Dashboard, as well as on Xbox.com.