Video Game Quick Hits 8/30/13

If you’ve put enough time and killing into Borderlands 2 that you’re stuck at the current level cap then you’ll be anxiously awaiting next week’s “Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack Two: Digistruct Peak Challenge.” With this pack you’ll get to level 72, and then some. If you complete the Digistruct Peak Challenge you’ll move into “Overpower” level one. You can then upgrade your “Overpower” all the way to level eight. Which basically means this add-on can get you to level 80, but they’re calling it something different. The DLC will be $5 when it releases September 3rd. This add-on will not be included in the Game of the Year Edition releasing October 8th.

Square Enix has had a string of games not meeting expectations lately, but they’re clearly facing the exact opposite problem with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The MMO released Tuesday and its day one popularity was more than the servers could accept. Squenix released a statement on Facebook in which they took a surprising step: “Important Notice About FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn – Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn, we are currently experiencing extremely long wait times for users to be able to log in and play.

“As a temporary measure, we will halt sales of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN’s digital download products so we can accommodate all of those wishing to play. We are working to expand our server capacity in the coming days. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes.”

Microsoft has taken the XBox 360 one step further down the road of being your complete entertainment box. Live Gold members who also have a subscription to Time Warner Cable can now use their 360 to stream TV from HBO, MTV, Comedy Central, FX, Nickelodeon, AMC, and about 300 other channels. An On Demand service could also be added before the end of the year. Which is fine I guess, but don’t you already have a cable box that does this? The only benefit I’m seeing is if you travel with your 360 or if you have to pay Time Warner for your cable box, which you can now return since your game console is doing it for you.

Bioware has finally addressed how they plan to import your decisions from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II into the next-gen Dragon Age: Inquisition. Their answer seems functional, but also inconvenient. Dragon Age Keep allows players to create “a Dragon Age historical world state to your exact specifications.” The Keep is basically a Cloud world where you can tinker with each of the variables and decisions involved the previous two games to create a world with a history exactly like you’ve created in the game… or completely different, if that’s your bag. Which is where the inconvenience gets involved. Executive Producer Mark Darrah explains that an import from DAO to DA2 “brought across something in the order of 600 different data points.” Am I going to be expected to remember how I handled each of those 600 data points when I create my universe in the Keep? I understand the hurdles involved in sending a save from one console generation to the next, especially when you consider some gamers may be switching brands at the same time. Still, the ideal way to handle this would be upload your existing PS3 or 360 save to the Keep, give the player the option to change something if they’d like, then send it to Inquisition on PS4 or XB1. It would be especially great if this could switch brand formats as well (PS3 to XB1 or 360 to PS4). While that isn’t currently built into the Keep, it’s not out of the question. “We are continuing to investigate ways in which save files from previous games could be used to populate the initial world state of the Dragon Age Keep. We’ll provide more information on this in the months to come,” explained Darrah. You sign up for the Dragon Age Keep beta now. The beta starts early next year. The full version will be available to everyone a few months before Inquisition‘s 2014 launch.

Have PS Plus? Want to know what you’re getting in the Instant Game Collection in September? Well here it is:

  • Resident Evil Chronicles HD Edition (PS3)
  • ICO (PS3)
  • Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP, Vita)
  • Rayman Origins (Vita)
  • Galaga Legions DX (PS3)

No word yet about the order these are coming, but they are all on the slate for September. You can also expect the normal run of sales and discounts.

But don’t be bummed XBox Live Gold members. You may not have PS+, but you do get Games for Gold in September. Look forward to Magic: The Gathering 2013 (September 1-15) and Rainbow Six: Vegas (September 16-30).

One of the first games we’ll get to play on the next-gen hardware is Techland’s Dying Light. Having succeeded with Dead Island, they’re returning to the zombie genre and they’re giving preorders first access to a special mode, “Be the Zombie.” This will be the game’s only PvP mode and is available at launch only for preorders. As a zombie, players will take the role of a “night hunter,” a special zombie class with superhuman speed and agility – as well as a tendril that allows for Bionic Commando style grappling. Intrigued? The 2014 release date is still unconfirmed, but you’ll want to get your order in soon.

A new feature has been announced for both PlayStation 4 and XBox One. Frankly, it seems obvious in our connected world full of instant gratification. Since you can use your mobile device to purchase content, it only makes sense that you should be able to download content on the go as well. Shuhei Yoshida described the function on PS4 via Twitter, saying simply “When you buy a PS4 game on smartphone, it will wake your PS4 up to start downloading the game. PS4 goes back to sleep after that.” Marc Whitten took a bit more of the hype man approach, but said basically the same thing on Twitter, “Yes! Of course you can download while you are away. #xboxone – Always up to date, always your console. The beauty of low power mode!”

And that will conclude this week’s gaming news. But we’ll be back Tuesday, despite it probably being a slow news day as everyone’s going to be too full of beer and barbecue this Labor Day weekend to bother announcing anything. Enjoy a safe holiday.