Littlebigplanet creators Media Molecule have, at long last, announced the release date for their Vita-exclusive Tearaway. Unfortunately, it will be coming October 22, 2013, a time already crowded by such titles as Batman: Arkham Origins (and Blackgate for Vita), and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It’s entirely possible that a title without as much mainstream “credibility” may get lost in the shuffle of the large franchises.
Speaking of Batman: Arkham Origins, more details from Game Informer’s cover story are surfacing. Here we go in easy to follow bullet points:
- A prequel following Batman Year One and Legend of the Dark Knight. Takes place on Christmas Eve early in Batman’s career.
- Gotham is covered in snow and Christmas lights.
- Amusement Mile hasn’t been flooded yet, nor Old Gotham turned into a prison.
- With Old and New Gotham included, the world is twice as big as Arkham City. Fast travel needs are satisfied by the Batwing. [I, for one, was disappointed by the extensive travel time in the last game so this welcome.]
- Black Mask has placed a bounty on Batman’s head. Deathstroke and Penguin are confirmed.
- Gotham City PD is not convinced Batman is on their side. He’s younger, slightly clumsier, and hasn’t defined his own lines yet.
- Emphasis will be placed on his detective work. WB Montreal cites the BBC’s Sherlock as inspiration.
- Combat remains essentially the same with a few tweaks (of course).
- New gadget: The remote claw, allowing two objects to be tethered together. Example: Tie an explosive barrel to a gargoyle so it’s suspended, then cut the rope with a batarang to drop it on someone.
- Dynamic “Crime in Progress” events will occur randomly while traversing the open world.
- Challenge mode will return
Excited yet?
Pete Hines, vice president at Bethesda, made a very bold statement to OXM. Despite the releases of Elder Scrolls Online and the critical success of Dishonored with its DLC, he says they’ll be making “considerably more noise this year.” Hines declined specifics, but he did elaborate by saying “I think we’re continuing to do the stuff that we get excited about, and people will get really excited about when they hear what we’re up to, which is continuing to push the boundaries, reinvent – find really smart, passionate teams who know what they’re doing and have an idea that they really want to do and do well.” With an expected end of the current console generation later this year, and no major titles announced for publication within that time, the insinuation is obvious. If this means what I think it means, Fallout 4 on PS4, you can count on my complete disappearance from the world for several weeks after its release.
A recent announcement has revealed some store-exclusive pre-order bonuses for Lost Planet 3. Amazon’s Punisher Pack will include the Incinerator Particle Thrower, NEVEC Punisher Pulse Rifle, Spit Fire Grenade Launcher, and two upgrades, a pressurized claw and tungsten carbide drill. Best Buy’s Assault Pack includes the Assault Shotgun, Customized Pneumatic Injector Gun, “Destructeur” Assault Rifle, and the two rig upgrades. GameStop’s bonus, the Freedom Fighter Pack, has the rig upgrades and five multiplayer characters (including Resident Evil‘s Hunk). The game releases at all retail locations August 27, 2013.
The delay of Rayman Legends on Wii U has certainly been a blow for fans of that console, but it looks like it will lead to more content when it eventually releases concurrently on all of the current systems in September. According to Michael Micholic, Senior Game Manager, “Trust me, the things we are adding aren’t minor. We’re not talking about adding some polish here and there, but 30 new levels and several new bosses.” This may not be the soothing balm that sore Wii U players wanted, but it is, at least, a silver lining to the dark cloud of delay.
That’s all for this week. Check back Tuesday for all the new from the weekend.