Need for Speed SHIFT becomes a team sport

Electronic Arts revealed an all-new Team Racing pack for Need for Speed SHIFT to be released via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. The content pack features a new race mode and five racing cars - all for free. The Team Racing pack is the first downloadable content for Need for Speed SHIFT and will be available worldwide on December 1st on the Xbox 360 and on the PlayStation 3 on December 3rd in Europe and on December 10th in North America.

The Team Racing mode allows two teams of up to six racers race against each other for online supremacy. As part of the new content, players will also get access to some legendary racers including the 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T, and the 1998 Toyota Supra Mark IV.

Look for it on your favorite console system in early December.

A kinder, gentler Warhammer Online trial

Today Mythic Entertainment announced that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, its popular MMO based on the Games Workshop universe, has introduced a new “endless” free trial program for new users. The free trial will allow players to try as many characters as they like through the first tier of the game or to level 10. Along with the endless trial, a brand new streaming trial client has also been introduced which will allow new users to download a smaller file where backgrounds will be streamed continuously in as players progress through the game.

Endless free trial players will partake in the recently introduced New User Journey, which features enhanced tutorials and new community elements, such as a “new player” guild, to streamline the transition of new players into WAR and its community of players. The new WAR endless free trial replaces the original 10-day time-limited trial program. This introduction comes after the major performance upgrade and revamped New User Journey in the 1.3.2 patch released in mid-October.

Find out more about this brand new trial version of the game by checking out www.warhammeronline.com/trial.

Champions Online free play weekend

To celebrate Halloween Cryptic Studios will be offering a free weekend of its super hero powered MMO, Champions Online. From Friday, October 30th, until Monday, November 2nd, anyone that wants to can play Champions Online for free and check out all the changes to the game, including new missions, new powers and the free Blood Moon content update.

Players that have walked away from Champions Online and haven’t played a character since September 24th, you will still have a free Retcon remaining, which resets a character’s power purchases. Also new to the game is the Celestial powerset which adds a new play style to the game; healer. Celestial powers change based on the target selected, so if you target a friend you give them much needed aid and if you target a foe you deal dimensional damage.

Finally, Champions Online is offering the new Halloween-themed content: Blood Moon. Play as a werewolf or a hunter during the Bite event, join four friends in an all-out struggle for survival in the Zombie Apocalypse PvP map or die during that event and become a super powered Zombie.

Find out more at www.champions-online.com.

Fable II: Game Episodes available

The first chapter of Fable II: Game Episodes, Microsoft’s episodic version of Fable II, is now available for free to all Xbox LIVE members (Silver and Gold). Fable II: Game Episodes features delivers Fable II in five consecutive installments. The five episodes offer all the Achievements and challenges of the disk-based game. The first episode, which is completely free, lets players experience childhood and the trials of being a young adult in the world of Albion. After completing this chapter, players have the option to purchase the next installment and continue the adventure. Naturally if you don’t purchase anything then you’re done.

Fable II: Game Episodes is fully compatible with the retail version of Fable II, allowing players to enter Albion and continue their story should they purchase Fable II at retail. The episodes also deliver full compatibility with the previously released Game Add-ons, Knothole Island and See the Future.
Add it to your Xbox Live download queue by visiting xbox.com.

KOEI’s DLC release schedule

KOEI sent along its list of free content for Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce for PSP and DYNASTY WARRIORS 6 Empires for PS3 and Xbox 360. This week’s Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce is Quest Pack #3, which includes four new quests, as well as all of the quests included in the previously released packs:

Chi Bi: vs Zhou Yu (Difficulty: 4/5)
- Return to Chi Bi to finish the fight against Zhou Yu!

Battle of Bai Men Tower X (Difficulty: 4/5)
- Return to Bai Men Tower to finish the fight!

Wu Arena (Difficulty: 5/5)
- Test your might against Wu warriors at the Arena!

Escape from Wan Castle X (Difficulty: 5/5)
- Return to Wan Castle to finish the fight!

This week’s DYNASTY WARRIORS 6 Empires free add-on content includes a new music track pack. Below is the remaining North American DLC schedule for Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. The dates shown reflect when the content should be available for download on both Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.

7/23/2009
Additional Music Set 2

7/30/2009
Eclectic Armor Set (men)
Priestess Armor Set (women)
Norse Armor Set (men)
Valkyrie Armor Set (women)

8/06/2009
Additional Music Set 3

8/13/2009
Shinobi Armor Set (men)
Arabian Armor Set (women)
Mystic Armor Set (men)
Wa Armor Set (women)

Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires DLC released

KOEI has delivered, as promised, some new free content for its tactical strategy action game, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. Available via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network, this week’s free content pack for the game is completely free and contains new sets of armor that can be used to create characters within the game’s Edit Mode. the armor sets include the Desert armor set (for men), Paladin armor set (for women), Lion armor set (for men), and Shaman armor set (for women).

The next set of add-on music content arrives on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network on July 23, followed by four additional armor sets on July 30.

Free Monster Hunter Freedom Unite quests at Comic-Con

If you are a fan of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and you plan on bringing your PSP to Comic-Con next week, then you’ll get a pleasant surprise from Capcom: 8 free quests. Capcom plans to make the San Diego Comic Con 2009 convention special by giving Monster Hunter Freedom Unite owners 8 large quests.

Capcom reckons that gamers will also want to bring at least two memory sticks because 6 will fill up one stick pretty easily. Size aside, these quests will offer something for both novice and hardcore Monster Hunter fans; 4 of the quests are suited for beginners and the rest are geared towards more experienced players.

These free quests are just the beginning: every Friday from now through 2010, new quests will be available for download for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, according to Capcom. Everything from challenge quests to event quests will add continuous hours of free play to the game.