Bethesda is working on another patch for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The new patch will likely fix the resistance problems and backwards flying dragons from version 1.2. Unfortunately, version 1.3, which is in final testing, won’t quite fix all of the lag issues on PS3 yet. Why not? Mostly because they’ve been unable to track down the exact cause. Some of the slowing comes from the PS3 auto-saving, a feature that can be turned off. Other lag problems seem to be a combination of minor issues that haven’t been fully identified. The developer is working with customers to gather game saves and track down the individual issues that may be contributing. While I’d much prefer to see games be completed before they release, it is reassuring that a company will continue to improve on a product you already own without forcing you to buy an updated version. Hopefully the game will be (relatively) bug free soon. In the meantime, check the official forums for some temporary workarounds.
Remember all of those pre-order bonus skins for Batman: Arkham City that we were so excited to see? Remember how we all expected them to be available as DLC sooner or later? Well that sooner is now. Seven skins are available as a single pack for $5. The skins included are 1970s Batman, Year One Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, Earth One, Batman Beyond, Sinestro Corps and Animated Series Batman. The Sinestro Corps skin was previously only available by purchasing the blu-ray of the worst Green Lantern movie ever made. Five dollars doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable for seven skins. But, wouldn’t you rather pay one dollar each if you don’t want all seven?
No official announcement has been made, but apparently GameStop doesn’t need one to let us all know that Assassin’s Creed: Revelations has more DLC coming on January 24th. The Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack looks to be $9.99. No details beyond that are available, but the smart money is on this being additional multiplayer maps from around the Mediterranean. Look for an official statement from Ubisoft soon.
As I mentioned on Tuesday, it looks like Saturday’s VGAs will be full of new game announcements. The latest one being rumored is Activision’s return to the Tony Hawk franchise. This pro skating series essentially created a genre back in the PSOne/N64 era. Activision quickly milked it for all it was worth, eventually leading to franchise fatigue and stupid peripheral add-ons. With the pro skater tweeting that he’ll have an announcement on Saturday – “the same day as the Spike Video Game Awards. Coincidence? I think not” – it looks like we’ll see what Activision plans. Will it be a return to form and have the amazing quality of the third game (my personal favorite), or are they committed to dysfunctional plastic boards and “casual” game play?
Speaking of Activision and franchises, they have announced they will be releasing a licensed game to coincide with the new Spider-Man movie next year. If this surprises you please throw away your gaming console. You obviously don’t deserve anything more technical than your drool-catching bib. As we’ve seen in many recent movie-licensed games, you shouldn’t be expecting to play through the plot of the film. Instead, The Amazing Spider-Man: The Video Game actually takes on the role of epilogue. Beenox is developing, but they’re going back to the web of free-roaming around New York City instead of jumping between dimensions. Seamus Kevin Fahey (Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena) is writing. I’ve seen a very short clip of it and Spider-Man looks fantastic in motion, but the city looks a little bland. Expect a full trailer at the VGAs on Saturday.
One game that has made sporadic appearances in VGQH for months looks to be nearing its end time in our spotlight. That’s because Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is finally getting its release on PS3. The game, much like the entire series, has seen its share of troubles getting to release. While 3D and Move support are being delayed for a future patch, the game itself will hit the US PSN on December 27th for $15. If you missed this on XBox last generation, you owe it to yourself to get it now. What a great use for that PSN card you’ll find in your stocking this year.
Another of the announcements to expect on Saturday is The Last of Us, a PS3 exclusive that’s already being teased. A recent teaser video showed footage of a BBC documentary discussing a fungus that eats the brains of ants, but still keeps them mobile. The recent teaser image highlights some sort of American apocalypse. Looks like a zombie game, but I’m hoping for something a little more creative.
A recent Capcom Facebook post appears to be teasing Dead Rising 3. “I’m getting packing for my new adventure – camera, notebook and baseball bat. What else would i need for a break in paradise? – Frank” If anything, this almost sounds like he’s making a cameo appearance in Dead Island, but that wouldn’t make any sense. Somehow I get the feeling we’ll learn more on Saturday.
While we all know there are console fanboys of every flavor many people forget the quiet little contender in the corner that is OnLive. While not a full console like a PS3 or XBox 360, this service does provide many of the same titles via streaming, much like your Netflix. It’s an interesting concept, and one that seems to be successful for them, although I haven’t tried it myself. Bruce Grove of OnLive has been talking about the future of their service and what it will mean in the next generation from Microsoft and Sony. It’s Grove’s opinion that the big two will have to be looking at a streaming service of their own and he feels it’s something OnLive can provide for them. Does this mean we could see an OnLive channel on our PS4’s XMB? Possibly, but he was a little stingy with information about whether or not he’s already talked to Sony. He did say that they had an OnLive client running on PS3 when the Linux OS was operable on that system but it was never released. Could this be the future of gaming? And would Sony or Microsoft want to work with an outsider to develop a console-based version? I could see this as a viable option for trying a PSN title before buying. I could even see this is a plan to save HDD costs by having PSN or XBLA games be streaming instead of downloadable. Beyond the console manufacturers, how would we feel about it?
The sales figures for PSN come out every month, but I never really see them as news appropriate for VGQH. This month was interesting though, so I thought I would share. The best-selling title for November is also the service’s fastest-selling title of all time, inFamous: Festival of Blood. I’m one of the many who bought this gem and it was well worth it. This is a standout example of what a fully-featured downloadable game should be. In the add-on segment of the store, the Nightwing Bundle for Batman: Arkham City has, predictably, taken top honors. Meanwhile, Square Enix should be quite proud, as they’ve taken the top five spots for PSOne Classics (Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy IX) and two of the top five PSP games (Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, and Dissidia 012 Prologus Final Fantasy). With Final Fantasy VI hitting those lists I wouldn’t expect to see Square Enix fall from the top anytime soon.
I don’t know how I didn’t see this one coming, but Media Molecule has a great reason for you to put Little Big Planet 2 back into your PS3. This week’s PSN update saw one of the coolest Sackskins in a very long time, The Muppets! Check out the pic to see who’s included. And if you don’t have LBP2, I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to buy it right now. Not because it’s not a fantastic game. It is. They’ve sold approximately 400,000 copies since Black Friday (including those bundled with new systems). Which means you might just see a fresh new copy waiting under the tree.
Another ratings leak, this time from Korea, gives us our first hint that Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 is imminent. This is not official confirmation, but Anarchy Reigns, another SEGA game, was also in the ratings list and it’s scheduled for release next month. Then again, the last update I heard was that Sonic shouldn’t be appearing again until summer.
And that ends our news snapshots for this week. As mentioned multiple times above, Spike’s VGAs are tomorrow night. I’ll be at a holiday party for my wife’s work and not watching it live. I do plan to DVR it though. Which will be better anyway because I can fast forward past the awards and get straight to the big announcements. Look for all necessary recaps here at Big Shiny Robot!