What we see from the next Mass Effect game is all speculation at this point. But it’s fun speculation, even for the people that will be making the game. Some of the team recently discussed a few characters that sound interesting for “spin-off” titles. Game Director Casey Hudson says, “It’d be cool to do something completely unrelated to the larger storyline, like a story about a private investigator on the Citadel. Or maybe something detailing Garrus’ time in C-Sec.” Could be interesting. Preston Watamaniuk, Lead designer, expressed a similar sentiment: “While being one of Shepard’s most loyal friends, Garrus has also had some of the most driven personal goals. He’s a hero in his own right, as Archangel and beyond. Who wouldn’t want to see the further adventures of the bold, charming Garrus Valkarian?” Of course, Watamaniuk also thinks “a game centered on brutal Krogan combat with more of a melee focus could be pretty exciting.” I’m not so sure about that one. I like using Krogan in ME3‘s multiplayer, but they’ve got a pretty solid third person shooting mechanic and I’d hate to see it go to waste. But that’s not all. Lead Writer Mac Walters has a few other characters that we actually know less about: “Aria. The Illusive Man. Kai Leng. Any henchman. The list goes on. I think most of them could have successful spin-offs of their own in some fashion.” I could see that. Maybe even lots of minor characters in episodic gameplay, like Tales from the Galactic Citadel or Tales from the Cerberus Ranks. The one that sounds most interesting to me actually come from Producer Mike Gamble, “Following the story of Javik a little bit more would be pretty cool. As the last remaining member of a lost race, I think that we could tell a lot of stories about his adventures in the Milky Way, and coming to terms with his place in the new Galaxy.” If I had my druthers, though, I’d focus more on his time when Protheans ruled the galaxy. It would have all the standard prequel problems, like knowing how it ends, but it would be interesting to see how a different species with different values and social structures took on the same threat. Ultimately, the integrated society led by a human succeeded, where they failed. I want to see what makes the difference. Alas, none of this may come to pass; we’ll just have to wait until they give the next game a full reveal – and that’s at least months, if not years, away.
Fresh off Bioshock Infinite, it’s no secret that Ken Levine is a badass when it comes to writing games. Which is why so many fans got excited when he recently tweeted that he was starting the writing process for his next game. Obviously we have no idea what it will be, since he won’t know everything until he’s finished, but we can expect greatness. Especially when you look at his inspiration. When asked what has been influencing his writing he responded with a pretty eclectic variety: “mad men, pt Anderson, Coen bros, Kubrick, soderbergh, Stoppard, Sondheim, games. [sic]” So we could be getting a period piece about a cult leader that bowls, rides atomic bombs, robs casinoes, and slits people’s throats while he cuts their hair. Sounds good. (Yes, I ignored Tom Stoppard in that as I’m not actually familiar with his work. Sorry.)
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag isn’t out until October 29th, but Ubisoft is already making it possible to pre-order DLC. Sort of. The various sails Edward Kenway can use to adorn his ship’s masts are actually just a bonus for ordering their Blackbeard figurine, which looks great. It’s supposedly available in their shop, but I didn’t find it easily. It could be a regional thing, as it was a source in the EU that brought it to my attention.
Ubisoft has confirmed that co-op mode is making a return in Splinter Cell: Blacklist. As in Conviction, co-op mode will be a separate campaign for two players online or via local split screen. Their last outing with co-op was well-received, so expectations are high this time around. The game is scheduled for August 20, 2013.
Take Two won’t be taking any time out for the WWE franchise they picked up from the THQ auction. WWE 2K14 has been given a release date of October 29, 2013. It is still developed by Yuke’s, despite the change in publisher. Obviously the game was well under way when the THQ collapse came; we’ll have to wait at least until next year to see if Take Two plans on making any major changes with the license.
The seventh DLC pack for DC Universe Online launches today. The “Origin Crisis” add-on seems to make even less sense than most of the Crisis stories in the comics, which is to say absolutely zero. There’s all kinds of stuff about future Lex Luthors, future Batmen, and a Nexus of Reality. Which is fine, but what about the gameplay? You’ll be able to travel back in time with multiple companions and alter the origins of popular heroes while visiting Gotham’s Crime Alley, or Krypton’s House of El. A new Quantum Power is also included, allowing you to manipulate time and space. Looks like this could be a decent enough reason to get back into this one if you’ve been out for a while.
