The obvious news is that the PlayStation 4 was announced last week. You can read my initial impressions of the event here, and my one week later with more details wrap-up here.
For those curious about Microsoft’s response, stay tuned. They reportedly have their own press event scheduled for April. Once again, this is technically rumor as Microsoft hasn’t announced it. However, multiple developers, publishers, and Sony have indicated that Microsoft was a caught off-guard by the PS4 reveal and will be announcing their own console soon. Naturally, having already seen the competition, Microsoft can take care to address the concerns fans had after the Sony event in one shot. They could easily trump last week’s event simply by including pricing details and a hard release date.
Speaking of which, the specs for Microsoft’s next-gen Kinect have supposedly been leaked. This is all technically rumor for now, but I will say that most of the leaks I’ve seen relative to PS4 weren’t far off the mark and this seems to have multiple sources. One of the upgrades will be increased field of view and depth. “Kinect 2” will have a 70-degree horizontal and 60-degree vertical field of view, a jump from 57.6 and 43.5 on the current version. It will also feature full HD resolution at 30 frames per second, as opposed to the current 15fps at lower resolution. Better skeletal tracking, joint recognition, sitting versus standing options, and being able to tell if a player’s hands are open or closed also seems to be in the cards. If all of the rumors are to be believed, Kinect 2 will not be an add-on option for neXtBox, but will be included with every unit.
On to other news:
Kingdom Hearts 1.5HD has been confirmed by Square Enix for a North American release, though details are currently a little scant.
EA hasn’t exactly kept Battlefield 4 a secret, and why should they, but it’s become quite public without an official announcement. Just before the PS4 announcement last week, select retailers were shown the game in secret sessions. GameStop CEO Paul Raines crowed about it on Twitter: “Got to see Battlefield 4 today and all I can say is WOW! Thanks @EA for the sneak peek. Can’t wait for you all to see it.” I can think of a few players that can’t wait as well.
Despite the rising tide of excitement for next-gen consoles, Square Enix has confirmed that Murdered: Soul Suspect will be releasing in “early 2014” for “current gen consoles.” The game “takes players into a whole new realm of mystery where the case is personal and the clues just out of reach.” Basically, you’re trying to “solve the hardest case of all… [your] own murder.” This isn’t an entirely new concept (*cough* Ghost Trick *cough*) but Squenix has had a string of successes lately and it looks interesting enough.
The “Vergil’s Downfall” add-on for DmC: Devil May Cry has been slightly postponed. Originally set for February, it was recently pushed back into March. No reason for the delay was given, but at least you have last week’s free “Bloody Palace” DLC in the meantime. The Vergil DLC is free for preorders and $8.99 for everyone else. Stay tuned for a solid date when Capcom gives us one.
As should be expected by now, BioShock Infinite will have a season pass for the planned DLC. Three add-ons are planned which Irrational says will have “hours of additional gameplay and continue the player’s journey in the sky-city of Columbia with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons.” Season pass buyers will also receive an Early Bird Special Pack with four pieces of “exclusive gear.” This is different from the Industrial Revolution Pack that is their preorder bonus. The season pass will be $20 (1600MSP) and save you $10 versus buying the DLC separately. The game is set for release on March 26th.
Bioware has confirmed there is one last campaign add-on coming for Mass Effect 3, and it’s no small piece. “The Citadel” apparently weighs in at about 2GB of content. It’s coming next week with a $15 price tag. It looks to be a full reunion for Shepard, featuring returning cast members from the first two games (assuming they’re alive). The expansion won’t just end after Shepard resolves the conspiracy against him. According to Bioware, “When the adventure is over, reconnect with your favorite characters from the Mass Effect Trilogy, try your luck at the Citadel’s Silver Coast Casino, blow off steam in the Armax Combat Arena, or explore and furnish Shepard’s own living quarters on the Citadel.”
Dishonored is also getting some story DLC. The game’s first expansion is called “The Other Side of the Coin.” No details are yet announced, as the news was broken via a trophy list. Some of the trophies for the expansion include content for the Rothwild Slaughterhouse and Thalia Timish’s estate. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement on price and release date, but I’d expect that soon.
Two more characters have been announced for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Where Green Lantern goes, Sinestro certainly won’t be far behind. Hawkgirl is also joining the roster that already includes most of the Justice League’s heavyweights. The game is only a few weeks away, releasing April 16th.
Gary Whitta says we “won’t have to wait until season two” to play more of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. According to Whitta, “I can tell you what you already know, which is season two is coming. There’s not much to say because it really is very early – it’s a way off. But, knowing that it’s a way off, and knowing that people are hungry for more Walking Dead, there may very well be more Walking Dead from Telltale before season two. We may have a little something extra for you between season one and two.” Seems awful cagey for what is basically an announcement. But I can’t wait to hear more.
Microsoft is started a major sale on XBLA and it’s a great chance to catch up on some titles you may have missed. The sale starts today with a list of core titles discounted all week. There are also daily deals, with different games becoming available every day until March 4th. Hard details are missing, but most of the Games on Demand are expected to be offered for at least 75% off, with some up to 85%. Here is a list of confirmed titles (prices indicate they are on all week):
- Assassin’s Creed I, II, Brotherhood, and Revelations
- Batman: Arkham Asylum and City
- BioShock $4.99
- Borderlands 1 and 2
- Call of Juarez $4.99
- Call of Duty 2, 3, Black Ops I and II, Modern Warfare 1, 2, and 3
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements $2.99
- Dead Island
- DiRT 2 $4.99
- Dishonored
- El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron $2.99
- Fable III
- Fallout 3 and New Vegas
- GRID $4.99
- Halo 3, 4, Reach, and Wars
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men $4.99
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Max Payne 3
- Metal Gear Solid HD and Peacewalker
- Mortal Kombat
- Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
- The Orange Box
- Portal 2
- Rayman Raving Rabbids $2.99
- Resident Evil 4, 5, 6, Operation Raccoon City, and Code Veronica X
- Red Dead Redemption
- Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (and SF IV)
- Tekken 6 and Tag Tournament 2
- The Darkness $4.99
- The King of Fighters XIII
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 1 and 2, Rainbow Six Vegas, and H.A.W.X. $4.99 each
- Tomb Raider Legend $4.99
- Virtua Fighter 5 $4.99
- World at War
Today’s deals Halo-centric: Halo 3, Reach, and Wars are $9.99 each (normally $29.99). Halo 4 is $39.99 (down from $59.99).
That’s it for now. We look to be back on track for making VGQH twice weekly again, though the updates may come a little later in the day. New consoles are on the rise, the elite twilight titles of this generation coming soon, and plenty of crossover with other geek genres means there’s plenty to talk about.