I’ve got a pretty extensive editorial at the end today, so let’s jump straight in to the news:
Bethesda has announced a title update coming for Brink. It sounds like it’s offering a lot, but it doesn’t answer the most pertinent question. Why? The update brings clans and tournament structure to the online play. Which would be cool if not for a few obviously glaring flaws. One, this game was released in May. If this was something the game needed, is six months later really the best time to release it? Two, this game was released in May. No one plays it online anymore – mostly because it wasn’t that great from the beginning. Third, this was released in May! I actually saw this on a used bargain bin for $5.00 on Tuesday. Maybe that is the right time to release extra content, when you’re no longer making money on the title because it’s selling used for less than the price of a Happy Meal. Sorry, Bethesda, you’ve got better things to be doing.
Speaking of better things Bethesda could be doing, they’re also working on a patch for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In response to an angry gamer, Pete Hines (PR and Marketing Boss) stated “Patches/updates take a little time. We can’t turn it around quite that fast. It’s been three days. Calm down, we’re working on it. “We are continuing to work on an update for all platforms to address… any bugs and perf[ormance] issues we can.” It appears there are very few players experiencing real game breaking bugs. At least nothing on the scale of what PS3 users suffered on Bethesda’s Fallout titles. The bugs most people seem to have are some texture issues and framerate lag. Which, while annoying, are pretty much par for the course on a game this size. Then again, if it’s something that can be patched smoothly, maybe they should have just hired Splash Damage to fix it pre-launch instead of having them waste time on a patch for Brink.
Oh yeah, I’m back to harping on Splash Damage. I was actually all set to change my tone and be a lot nicer to them because of a rumor about the developer working with Disney on a Marvel-themed title. That game could have been good, but Paul Wedgewood has been quick to squash this rumor. “We’re not working with Disney. We’re not building a pop culture IP. We’re only using BRINK tech for BRINK updates,” Wedgewood said. Kind of a shame. Brink isn’t that great, but if you skinned it with The Avengers it could have been something special.
But, rather than speculate about a Marvel game that may never be, let’s talk facts about DC Universe Online. The game switched to a free to play model on November 1st, and they’re now announcing the next expansion, “Lightning Strikes.” Following the successful introduction of Green Lantern and his powers in “Fight for the Light,” DC now wants to give lightning powers as they introduce The Flash. The expansion, planned for later this year has several additions. You’ll get a Central City map, The Flash Museum Duo (which lets you time travel to see Barry Allen’s origin), electricity powers, new gear inspired by Black Lightning and Professor Zoom, and a slew of new characters (including The Top, The Trickster, and others). If you currently have Legendary subscriber status this will be a free upgrade. Free or premium members will need to pay $9.99 (which will make you premium if you’re not already).
With Assassin’s Creed: Revelations releasing this week to thunderous applause, it’s now time to officially hear about its upcoming DLC. As mentioned last week, the trophy list exposed plans for at least four additional multiplayer characters and some additional maps. While Ubisoft has yet to comment on the maps, the four character DLC pack is planned for December 13th at $3.99.
If you’re more interested in DLC that’s already released, check the PSN Store for Uncharted 3‘s Killzone Pack. This pack includes Helghast Capture Trooper armor and a couple of extra helmets. Not bad for $1.49. Incidentally, if you’ve already opted for the Fortune Hunter’s Club (still available for $24.99) you’ll get this gear for free, despite it not being part of the planned package. In addition, you’ll get the rest of the planned DLC at a 45% discount. My real question is, how do you expect to blend in to these desert environments with such strange gear?
Sanzaru Games has a had a busy year, releasing the Sly Cooper HD Collection and announcing the fourth game in the series, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Now they’re finally ready to start sharing some details. The fourth game picks up immediately after the events of the third game. Not only will Sly and the gang be traipsing around the timeline, they’ll be doing it alongside Sly’s ancestors. Many of these characters were introduced when Sly learned some of their abilities from the Thievius Raccoonus in the first game. In each episode Sly will meet with one of those venerable ancestors. As a player, not only will you learn more of the family history, you’ll also learn more of their abilities as you are able to play as each ancestor. The only reveal so far is Rioichi Cooper. Sly learned his Spire Jump from this Cooper, but that’s not the only trick he has up his sleeve. Not only did this raccoon invent sushi, he also invented a long distance Spire Jump variant known as the Leaping Dragon Technique. Sanzaru has promised more details in December’s issue of Game Informer. Oh yeah, did I mention this is in 3D?
On a very related note, Sanzaru Games President Glen Egan has also announced the Sly Cooper HD Collection is coming to PSN. The retail version is already available, and has been for some time. But if you’d rather just load these games up on your hard drive, you can do it on November 29th. The full collection will be $29.99, but you’ll also now have the option to purchase each game individually for $9.99 each. All three games will be in HD, 3D, and 60 frames per second with full trophy support.
As a die hard fan, I picked up the Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition when it launched back in October 2010. That special edition came with a 48 page graphic novel, All Roads, introducing a few of the game’s key characters and served as a kind of prequel to the story. I’ve read better graphic novels, but that one wasn’t bad. Finally, more than a year later, this graphic novel is seeing a wider release. Dark Horse has released it digitally ($2.99 from their online store and iTunes) which will preserve the value of the limited run of print versions. If you’ve wanted to read the novel, or if you’d like a teaser as you hold out on the game to await the Ultimate Edition with all of the DLC to be released on February 7th, this is a good time to pick it up. Three bucks is pretty good for a 48 page comic written by Chris Avellone (the game’s creative director) with art by Jean Diaz and Wellington Alves.
If the online passes popping up everywhere have been bugging you, or preventing you from playing as Catwoman, take a look at the way THQ has done it mostly right. If you use that online pass that came with your PS3 version of Saints’ Row: The Third, you’ll get a free copy of Saints’ Row II. Why do I say this is doing it right? First, they aren’t charging you $10 for something that actually changes the narrative of the game (Batman: Arkham City). Second, they aren’t actually taking anything away from you at all just because you bought it used. Instead, they want to give you a gift worth about $20 just for buying their game new. The real beauty of this is that it might actually make your used copy more valuable if you decide to sell it. If you don’t want or need the bonus game, don’t activate your code. If you sell it to a third party before February, you might get a little extra incentive from them if they know the code is still good. Why only until February? That’s why I said “mostly right.” Much like the bonus digital copy of films you get when buying on blu-ray, the code is only good for a limited time. It also loses points for only being available in North America. I realize there’s a whole different set of laws to contend with around the world, but Europeans have as much option to choose new or used as I do, and this incentive should be there for them as well.
If you love 2D fighting, Capcom has a happy announcement for you. The PlayStation One version of a Capcom’s arcade classic is making its way to PSN. Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors is tentatively scheduled for November 29th. This is one of the greats from the mid-1990s, right alongside Super Street Fighter II Turbo. I have a lot of love for these characters, but mainly from their inclusion in Super Puzzle Fighter. The only better news we could get about this franchise is that a new one is coming in HD. Maybe if this re-release sells well….
Namco Bandai has announced four more characters for Soul Calibur V. Cervantes, Lizard Man, and Yoshimitsu are all returning favorites. New to the series is Xiba, a 16 year old with a white tiger tail. While he is a new addition, he certainly appears to be filling Kilik’s role.
In addition to the free, pre-order costume packs mentioned on Tuesday, there’s a whole pile of new skins coming for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Each pack will run $3.99, but you can score them all on March 6th with a $20 value pack. There are some great additions for Marvel nerds, including the Scarlet Spider and Planet Hulk. The Mega Man skin for Zero shown in the strategy guide is also included. I’ve got pictures of all of them, but I’m going to skip the three I already posted on Tuesday for the sake of brevity.
Rising Dead Pack (11/22/11)
Evil Twin Pack (12/6/11)
Ancient Warriors Pack (12/20/11)
Brawler Pack (1/10/12)
Femme Fatales, Villains, and New Age of Heroes Packs (1/17/12)
Animal Pack (1/24/12)
Weapon Expert Pack (2/7/12)
Viewtiful Strange Pack (2/21/12)
That’s the end of the week’s news, but allow me to editorialize a moment.
With the rumor mill flying, and several studios being named as working on dev kits, it’s really starting to look like the next generation of video game consoles will be announced very soon. Ubisoft and EA have basically confirmed that they are working with the next generation of XBox (be that 720, Project Ten, or something else entirely). Avalanche Studios recently announced a game they’re calling Project Mamba to be released in 2014 and is widely believed to be next gen. So, when can we expect them? We know the WiiU is hitting next year. PS Vita is coming in February. The industry prediction is that Microsoft’s next console will be released in 2012. Seeing as no official announcement has been made, I’d expect that to be near the end of the year, likely in the prime holiday shopping season. But what about PlayStation 4? Sony has been very tight-lipped, but the announcement of Gran Turismo 6 is a pretty big tell. After recently acquiring Sucker Punch, formalizing their already exclusive relationship, I would expect they’ve got something big up their sleeve with them. After all, Sly and inFAMOUS were both huge successes for the last two generations. Should we expect Sony to release in 2012 as well? Coming out a bit later seemed to hurt their early success this generation. But maybe Microsoft is seeing the PS3 install base growing and they’re now trying to head that off by releasing their new console before they had planned. Either way, we’ve hit the five year mark, the traditional life span of a console. Sony had planned a ten year life cycle for PS3, but no one seriously expected it to be the flagship device for that long. We’re also seeing enough advancements in PC gaming that a new console will be needed to keep pace sooner rather than later. This is definitely a story for us to watch. I foresee an announcement coming from Microsoft soon after Christmas, probably early January. I have lots of speculation, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. Feel free to ask me in person and I’ll probably share. I just don’t want to document anything yet.
See you next week.