February has passed us by and March is marching in, bringing with it the long overdue snow in northern Utah. If we can just keep the roads clear on Tuesday until after I’m home with my copy of Mass Effect 3 then it’s welcome to snow for the next five days. I won’t be leaving my basement as I prepare the galaxy for war against the Reapers.
Meantime, there’s still news from this week to cover. The top story, as far as I’m concerned has already been well covered by Wrath.o.Tron. If you haven’t read his reveal on Assassin’s Creed III yet, do it now. There’s a lot we don’t know, but that art work answers the biggest question of when and where this game will take place. It looks like plenty more will be exposed next week so stay tuned. For now, release is still planned for October 30, 2012.
When it comes to DLC expansions, it’s hard to please everyone. Is an extra two hours of missions worth $10? How about $5 for two new costumes? Someone always thinks there’s too much extra content to buy while someone else thinks they need even more. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is set for its first major DLC, “The Legend of Dead Kel,” on March 20th and they definitely seem to be erroring on the side of too big. No word yet on pricing (rumored to be $10), but the expansion is a whole new continent, Gallows End! As you’d expect with a new content, you’ll be finding new dungeons, new enemies, and additional options for player housing. According to EA, “‘The Legend of Dead Kel’ is only part of the story of Gallows End. It intertwines with numerous side quests, multiple dungeons to explore and a colorful cast of characters.”
It seems it’s been a while since we’ve heard about an HD collection release of a classic from last generation. Are they tapped out? Of course not, as this week’s reminder of Zone of the Enders HD Collection clearly shows. This was originally announced by Konami alongside Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Silent Hill HD Collection but has been missing from the news reels ever since. The collection will bundle remastered versions of the two games. A formal release date was not announced, but it has been narrowed down to Fall 2012.
While we’re on the subject, remember when Silent Hill HD Collection got delayed back in January. Supposedly the new release date was going to be given later the same week, but that never happened. Originally scheduled for March 6th, the game is now set for release two weeks later on March 20th. This collection bundles HD remasters of Silent Hill 2 and 3.
Rumors for the next Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC are springing up. Three new Coliseum battles are reportedly in the cards: Gilgamesh from FF V, Jihl Nabaat from FF XIII, and an unnamed character from FF VI. All three are just rumors, but it also looks like Gilgamesh will be added to your monster party when you win the battle. I’ve played and enjoyed several of the FF titles but I’ve never been a superfan. I’m actually in the midst of playing FF V for the first time as a PSOne Classic on my PSP but I haven’t run into this Gilgamesh character yet. I do remember seeing him in other games though.
Ah, video games cameos. Perfect transition. Guess who’s going to show up in The Amazing Spider-Man video game? Who else, but Smilin’ Stan Lee. Will it be a walk on cameo role like he’ll surely have in the upcoming film? Not according to Lee himself. Speaking to a fan at the London Super Comic Convention, Stan says he’ll be aplayable character in the game. What this means is anybody’s guess, but the prevailing thought is that the super-octogenarian will be a skin-swap for Spidey himself.
Have you heard of Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit, an upcoming PSN title? I have no idea what to make of this game, but the lunatic concept has me sold already. The lead character is Ash, a devil rabbit and prince of Hell. Ash is apparently hunting dow Fat Rabbit, a rival who posted Ash’s sexy pictures on the Hellternet. The game, coming to PSN, XBLA, and PC from SEGA later this year, will apparently have customizable weapons and loads of cartoon gore. An idea this wacky is either going to be brilliant, or incredibly disappointing. I’m hoping for brilliance, obviously.
“Battle for Earth,” the third expansion for DC Universe Online, has been announced for release on March 13th. This latest expansion brings in one of the most deadly foes of DC lore, Brainiac. The add-on also introduces Wonder Woman’s home of Themyscira and new Earth powers. As with the last two DLC packs, Legendary subscribers will have free access. Free or Premium subscribers will be spending $9.99 for the extra content.
Finally, a few quick release updates to finish out the week.
Gravity Rush, one of the most interesting Vita titles overseas has been given a US release date of June 12th. You’ll have the option for a physical, retail card or digital download.
Time Machine: Rogue Pilot is releasing to PSN on March 13th. Price is still unannounced but is said to be “just a few bucks.” The puzzle adventure game will have a demo available and is also coming to PC.
For baseball fans, Sony is showing their hand a bit on promoting games for both PS3 and Vita. The first will be MLB 12 The Show. According to Sony, buying both versions in the same transaction at any retailer will save you $20 (PS3 for $60 + Vita for $40 = $100 – $20 = $80 for both). Why do you need both? “You can transfer your Season, Franchise, or Road to the Show mode save files between your PS3 and PS Vita anywhere at any time through the PlayStation Network.” This seems like a good step forward for releases on both platforms. The weak link looks to be the retailers, will they be savvy enough to understand the promotion? Going forward, how will third parties respond to and continue the concept?
That does it for this week. Remember to come back next week for the big reveal coverage on Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III. Tuesday’s post will likely be scatter-brained lunacy as my excitement for Mass Effect 3 overhwelms my circuits. But that also means I’ll have my first impressions of the game included in next Friday’s VGQH.