Let’s be honest here. I can pretty much write whatever I want today because everyon’es playing Batman: Arkham City instead of getting their news fix from their favorite geek site. But I’m still going to do my best to get the other four of you up to date on all your gaming news bits:
Speaking of Batman: Arkham City, how excited are you to be play as Catwoman? Hopefully excited enough to buy the game new, or pay $10 for it. Instead of being the integral part of the game Rocksteady has been talking about for months, it appears Catwoman’s levels are not actually required for beating the game. Furthermore, the $10 online pass (that comes free with the game) will be the only way to play as Ms. Kyle in her story missions and Riddler’s Revenge challenges. I’m really not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I completely understand the developers’ need for getting a piece of the reseller pie with an online pass. But if you’re renting the game (through Netflix, GameFly, Redbox, or one of the last two brick and mortar locations on earth) they’re still getting a royalty cut. Not as much as a purchase, but still a cut. Is it right to cut out one of the top talking points of the game for renters? If anything, developers should consider making a game with enough content for someone to buy it rather than rent it. The lack of replay value for Arkham Asylum, combined with a 12 hour campaign time means I had done everything I wanted in five days, playing only about three hours per day. If Rocksteady and WBIE want me to pay more than the $8 rental fee I paid at Blockbuster in 2009, they better give me the content to warrant it, especially now that I’m on GameFly. Catwoman is cool, but not $60 cool.
Street Fighter x Tekken gets two big announcements this week. First, the release date has been announced as March 6, 2012. The other big reveal is the special edition. What do you get for buying the fancy version? How about an arcade cabinet piggy bank (some assembly required), a prequel comic book (you mean this game has a story?), and 45 power up gems? Wait, what are power up gems? The “Gem System” allows you to modify your characters’ stats and abilities by equipping them with various powered gems. The special edition says it comes with nine exclusive gems, and 36 others that include all of the pre-order items. Which, in a roundabout way, also means they’ve announced the pre-order incentives as well.
Another major game coming from Capcom, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, also had an announcement regarding a DLC pack. The “Heroes vs. Heralds” add-on will use a new card-based mechanic in a battle against Galactus and his heralds. The card system will allow you to unlock moves and abilities, like super armor, invisibility, combo chains, and the like. Also, according to Seth Killian (Strategy Manager), Galactus will be playable in “his own little mode.” Not sure about the rest of it, but playing as Galactus in a fighting game has got to be pretty empowering. The full game releases November 15th.
If you’re a fan of collector’s editions and the WWE games, you’ll want to preorder your “People’s Edition” of WWE ’12 from the THQ store. This edition comes with a foil sleeve, The Rock in-game character, Topps’ The Rock foil trading card, photo of the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and a blu-ray (PS3) or DVD (360) of the “Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century.” The game releases, in regular or “People’s” editions, November 22, 2012.
As promised, Zen Studios announced the first of two “Virtue” tables for Marvel Pinball at NYCC over the weekend. It should come as no suprise that the X-Men, one of Marvel’s flagship franchises, is finally getting their own virtual pinball table. The player will be helping Professor Xavier to assemble the X-Men and train them to master their powers in order to take on Magneto and a cadre of other villains. The use of magnets in real pinball machines can create some interesting effects. I’m excited to see what they do with a character like Magento and a metal ball when they aren’t as strictly confined by the laws of physics. Colossus, Cyclops, Iceman (my favorite), Jean, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Storm, and Wolverine (who also has his own table) take on The Blob, Juggernaut, Mystique, and the Sentinels in events inspired by actual comics. Expect to see Magneto destroy the Brooklyn Bridge, the Dark Phoenix Saga, and more. It also appears you’ll be sending your ball directly into Cerebro, which looks awesome. The remaining “Vengeance” and “Virtue” tables will be announced soon. And I’m still sticking with my Punisher prediction for the second “Vengeance.”
Square Enix has announced the first piece of their plans for the PS Vita with Army Corps of Hell. Players will control an army of goblins to reclaim the King of Hell’s throne. Not exactly the lightest of subject matter. Looting corpses, building stronger weapons, and using the rear touch pad to make your goblins play instruments (wtf?) all seem to be integral parts of gameplay. This sort of seems like a cross between Overlord and Patapon, but it’s too early to really tell. It will also feature a four player (ad hoc) mode to take on tougher bosses and acquire rare items. The game is exclusive to Vita and is planned as a launch title, whenever that launch happens. Development is being handled by Entershpere, Inc.
While most of the crying and moaning over a dark-haired Dante in Ninja Theory’s upcoming reboot of Devil May Cry has died down, there are still plenty of fans of the classic series that want nothing more than to play the original trilogy (well, two of them at least) in high def. Enter the Devil May Cry HD Collection. Coming to PS3 and 360 in Spring 2012, this collection will include the original Devil May Cry, the much-maligned Devil May Cry 2, and the definitive Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Special Edition. In addition to high def sound and visuals, expect some bonus content and the prerequisite addition of trophies/achievements. Not bad for $40.
Until I see something official come from either Ubisoft or Namco Bandai I’m generously filing this one under “wild rumor.” It probably ought to be filed under “pretty good fan created Photoshop.” Either way, it’s a cool idea and would be a perfect fit. Supposedly this is a screen shot from a beta version of Soul Calibur 5 featuring a special guest character. If you don’t recognize him immediately it’s time to sell off your consoles.
And, since that seems to be the last of the news, I’ll just leave things off with a short list of goodies to look for on XBLA and PSN this week. Obviously there will be more, but these are the highlights:
- “The Missing Link” DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Need for Speed: The Run Demo
- Okabu, Rocketbirds, and Payday on PSN
- Dungeon Defenders on XBLA and PSN