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Game Rant’s Rob Keyes reviews Battlefield 3 (PS3/Xbox 360) Fans of the series have waited over six years for Battlefield 3, the next installment in the core Battlefield series, the Bad Company titles notwithstanding. Like Battlefield 2, DICE’s first game to make use of the Frostbite 2 engine was designed for the PC first and foremost, with a somewhat scaled-down version coming to the consoles. After a problematic, yet very popular beta test, DICE promised to rectify the common issues and deliver a comprehensive first-person shooter experience, including a single-player campaign and a co-op mode to go along with the franchise’s flagship multiplayer offerings....

Not surprisingly - and likely in line with plans predating the release of Battlefield 3 - EA has run the early sales numbers, likes what it sees, and is hungry for more. In its first week, Battlefield Premium and Close Quarters, the first Battlefield 3 DLC, became available exclusively for PlayStation 3 owners, opening to the Xbox 360 and PC crowd the following week. In that span, according to what EA Games head Patrick Soderlund told USA Today, the company saw over 800,000 players enlist to the service....

Add to EA’s woes, two marquee games for the company haven’t turned out as well as it might have hoped. Battlefield 4 and NBA Live 2014 have both had troubled beginnings by failing to meet EA’s standards. Yet, like Medal of Honor, a title they admitted didn’t meet their expectations, these all released in arguably broken states. Starting with Battlefield 4, EA and DICE both had huge hopes for next-gen transition of the series....

[HTML1] With only a few weeks until the Fall season is upon us, many publishers and developers are trying to make sure gamers know any and everything that’s new and exciting about their forthcoming games. DICE, for example, wants to ensure that Battlefield 4 fans know how they will be taking their beloved multiplayer experience to the next level. While they have already detailed Battlefield 4’s new vehicle test range, multiplayer kits & upgrades, as well as the second-screen experience, this latest reveal digs deeper into multiplayer customization....

Mullingar Indie band The Academic were among those supporters who cheered as the Norwich City winger headed beyond Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu and they’ve been moved to pen a tribute. “The voices are a little hoarse today, but after the heroics of last night we just had to pay tribute to this man!” the band wrote on their official Facebook page. “We love you Robbie Brady! ‪#‎COYBIG‬” Watch below!...

Bartra seriously injured in bus attack Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final tie was postponed following an attack on Dortmund’s team bus en route to Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund’s bus was hit by an explosion, with defender Marc Bartra forced to undergo surgery after suffering a broken wrist. The incident forced Monaco fans to spend another night in the German city, but in a sign of unity, the visitors from the south of France were offered emergency accommodation by their Dortmund counterparts via the hashtag #bedforawayfans on social media....

Following an opening weekend that saw The Batman generate $134 million at domestic box offices and $258 million internationally, per Variety, Kravitz has received high praise for her performance as Selina Kyle across social media and, in many cases, has been anointed the best Catwoman yet. “As dedicated Catwoman fans, we can say [without] exaggeration that #TheBatman gives us the best Catwoman in history,” Twitter user @catwomanarchives tweeted. “A fully-realized, loving portrayal of Selina, from her most heroic to her most vengeful, delicately handling her selfish heart and a hidden potential to be greater....

After watching Liverpool thrash Barcelona 4-0 on Tuesday, Tottenham Hotspur followed in the Reds’ footsteps and overturned a 1-0 home loss last Tuesday with a spirited second-half performance which saw them advance to their first ever Champions League final on away goals. Ajax dominated proceedings in the first half as Matthijs de Ligt’s header and Hakim Ziyech’s effort gave them a two-goal lead before the interval. After the restart, Lucas Moura scored a double within four minutes and later bagged his hat-trick at the death of the encounter to send Mauricio Pochettino’s side into ecstasy....

Instant celebrities are a well-known species, but O’Brien may have set a record. The 6-foot-4 television writer grew up in Brookline, Mass., and attended Harvard, where he was president of the comedy finishing school they call the Harvard Lampoon. In 1987, after stints with HBO’s “Not Necessarily the News” and Fox’s “Wilton North Report,” O’Brien started down a road well traveled by Lampoon alumni. He spent three and a half years at “Saturday Night Live,” where he popped up on a few skits and pulled down an Emmy, then moved on to “The Simpsons....

On July 27, the actor, 59, collapsed and suffered a near-fatal heart attack while shooting scenes for the sixth and final season of the Breaking Bad prequel series in New Mexico. In a new interview with The New York Times, the screen star has opened up about the events surrounding his harrowing medical episode, revealing that it took three shocks from an automated defibrillator to revive his pulse. “We were shooting a scene, we’d been shooting all day, and luckily I didn’t go back to my trailer,” he said....

The legendary forward has continued his goalscoring form having scored a double in the 4-1 win over Real Sociedad last weekend. The veteran striker has grabbed Barca’s opener, latching onto Raphinha’s floating cross to give the Catalan giants the lead in the 23rd minute. He has been a nuisance for Valladolid throughout, causing all sorts of problems for Joaquin Fernandez and Javi Sanchez. Pedri scored Blaugrana’s second following good play from Ousmane Dembele with Xavi Hernandez’s seemingly on their way to a second consecutive victory....

Both systems have enjoyed a steady stream of indie titles, along with a few well-received console exclusives (inFamous: Second Son and Titanfall, respectively) but with so many true next generation titles aiming for release in 2015 (or even 2016), both publishers have been attempting to cash in by updating older games for the PS4 and Xbox One. Sony has already seen solid sales for The Last of Us Remastered, which featured upgraded visuals and complimentary DLC, and Microsoft is hard at work finishing Halo: The Master Chief Collection for a holiday 2014 release....

While most will use the term ‘game’ when describing Beyond, it’s more of an interactive story. But that story is one of the most ambitious, nuanced, and complex narratives ever featured in a video game. Told through non-linear vignettes (think Tarantino-style storytelling), Beyond follows the character of Jodie Holmes (Ellen Page) from infancy to fully-fledged adulthood. Of course, Holmes’ experiences are not like that of your average girl, and it all has to do with her “special friend” named Aiden....

The term “Stop Protecting Kyle” started trending online after fans of the show claimed the producers of the CBS show were “hiding Kyle’s racism.” The latest season has been running for over a month, with another month to go. Eleven contestants remain but viewers are concerned about an apparent racial divide forming in the house, with Kyle starting an alliance with housemates that has irked many viewers. As a result of him creating a team with all of the white housemates, he’s being referred to as “KKKyle” online....

Brown has not confirmed the end of her relationship but was vocal on Twitter the day after it was assumed she broke her engagement. Spoiler blogger Reality Steve revealed Brown took off her engagement ring in June. Shortly after she tweeted: “Patience is not my virtue. She also engaged with a fan who told her to look into visiting a “rage room,” which Brown expressed was a great idea....

Where’s Paco? Absent Alcacer lost in action as Barca miss Messi The Catalans failed to score at home for the first time since February 2015 as they played out a goalless draw with Malaga. Messi missed the clash due to illness, while Suarez was sidelined due to suspension. Pique, however, refused to use the missing pair as an excuse after Barca fell four points behind leader and arch-rival Real Madrid....

Juve reached their first final since 2003 two seasons ago but their quest for a third title came up short as Barca eased to a 3-1 win in Berlin. Why Dybala is not Messi’s heir The two sides have not met in the competition since but will battle over two legs in the last eight in the coming weeks. Bonucci feels Juve - who sit atop of Serie A - have gotten stronger since, while Barca may not have the quality they had in Luis Enrique’s first season in charge....

After a Batman: Arkham City Collector’s Edition was teased a week ago, it shouldn’t surprise that the details of that package (most of them, anyway) have been announced. Here’s the official word on the Xbox 360 and PS3 releases of the collector’s edition (no word yet on a PC edition). The Collector’s Edition content is pretty standard fare - with a premium statue replacing a replica batarang as the stand out bonus offering this round....

How well collectibles are handled varies from game to game, and it usually depends on a few things like quantity, time required, locations, etc. An interesting example of this is The Witcher 3’s Gwent, which is an in-world card game consisting of 150 collectible cards. Collect more and better cards to defeat other Gwent players, and you will unlock an entirely separate quest line involving a Gwent tournament. On the other hand, there are past games like Alan Wake and its thermoses hidden in ridiculous places (and ultimately amounted to nothing), or Batman: Arkham City, which had over 440 Riddler Trophies (including puzzles and challenges) split between Batman and Catwoman....

[HTML1] There’s a reason Batman is still around after decades at the top of the comic book world, and Batman: Arkham Origins looks to highlight the tenacity of the dark knight like never before. Rather than using his detective skills to uncover a mystery, the game is pitting him against some of the world’s deadliest assassins. Of course, the announcement of Batman: Arkham Origins may not have been everything some fans were hoping for....