Judging by the numbers it put up, it appears everyone reading this saw The Avengers over the weekend. Twice. I know I did. I also ejaculated. More than twice. More like every time the Hulk did something awesome. Which was every time the Hulk did anything. The best part is that this leads right into today’s first story.
A table based on the recent film is coming to Zen/Marvel Pinball as part of the Avengers Chronicles four pack. Sadly, we don’t have a date yet. Or, technically, a price. Somehow or another these tables will be involved with the launch of Zen Pinball 2 on PS3. I’m a little confused how that relates as it seems it will merge Marvel Pinball and Zen Pinball. Which is basically what it’s always been on the 360 version. But, I think ZP2 is also coming to 360??? I’m seeing $9.99 and I’m also seeing free if you already own one. Definitely seeing Vita version is free with purchase of Ps3 version. I’m confused, but who cares. There’s a a pretty picture. And your balls aren’t silver, they’re color-coordinated so you’re actually playing as one of the Avengers and have to pick which order you use each hero.
In case you missed the announcement because you were watching The Avengers, a new event started on Ms. Splosion Man this past Saturday. The SPLOKOUR Challenge wants to see how far you can get without touching the floor; each touch to the floor results in a ten second penalty. The contest continues until May 20th, so you’ve got plenty of time to practice your SPLOKOUR moves. At the end of the promotion, the top five in the leaderboards will have chance to win the next game from Twisted Pixel and a Ms. Splosion Man plush doll. Which is actually a semi-announcement in itself. Twisted Pixel is announcing their next game at E3 on June 5th.
Harmonix is also working on a new game that hasn’t been officially announced. As you’d expect, it will be a music game. Also, with their most recent success coming from the Dance Central franchise, you shouldn’t be surprised that it’s motion-based. The big news is that it’s actually next-gen motion-based. Of course, with next-gen systems not being official yet, neither is the announcement. The information we have comes solely from a job listing.
The first issue of the Max Payne miniseries from Marvel is now available for free download. You can read it online or download a .pdf here. You can also enter to win a physical copy at the same link. The comic is written by Sam Lake and Dan Houser.
Most of you should know by now that a South Park RPG is coming from THQ and Obsidian. Parker and Stone are handling the writing to insure that it has the true South Park feel, unlike many of their other licensed games that only carried the title. In order to make the game stand out from its predecessors, it has been officially named South Park: The Stick of Truth. Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the new information I have on the game. Nothing else has come forward, just the name. I’ll get back to it when something important happens.
Ubisoft has been hinting at the long-awaited sequel to Beyond Good & Evil for years. From simply encouraging fans to buy the PSN/XBLA release of the first game so they could gauge excitement levels, to then announcing that Rayman Origins needed to make a lot of money to fund the project, they’re clearly indicating it’s a possibility but that they’re afraid of the money side. According to recent comments from Michel Ancel, Beyond Good & Evil 2 is in creation stage. No idea what that means, as it doens’t sound the same as production. However, we do know we won’t see it very soon, as like Harmonix’s next game, they’re planning it for next-gen. According to Ancel, “it’s a very ambitious game and we need some tech to achieve that ambition.” He didn’t mention which next-gen consoles, as he hasn’t seen the tech for them and he doesn’t want to lose focus by making those decisions now. He elaborated by saying the team will “focus on the game. We create it first, then we’ll see what can run it. We don’t say 2013 because we don’t know when it will come. We’re working to create a great game and it needs more tech.” Ancel also indicated that control of the player character would be parkour in nature, much like Prince of Persia or Assassin’s Creed. Since his statements, a single screen shot has been making the rounds on the internet, supposedly from the long awaited sequel.
Agent 47’s Facebook page is proclaiming an announcement will be made this Thursday, May 10th. Actually it’s the Hitman Facebook page, but whatever. Of course, whenever a publisher tries to announce something major, someone else leaks it. An ad from an upcoming issue of Game Informer exposes the announcement with a more elaborate version of their teaser photo. This is related to Hitman Absolution, but it looks to be a standalone game. Apparently you’ll be able to access Hitman: Sniper Challenge by pre-ordering Absolution at GameStop. It certainly looks to just be a leaderboard game, but you may be able to unlock weapons or other items for Absolution. Here’s the leaked photo and the “official” one as well.
The $99 XBox 360 deal I mentioned last week has launched. The 4GB console has an incredibly low entry price, but you’ll be contracted to pay $15/month for your Gold membership for two years. Your two year total is $459. Buying at the standard retail price and paying the typical membership fee is $40 cheaper. Depending on your financial means and savvy, this may be an acceptable way to get the 360 you’ve been wanting. I call it a rip-off, but I’m probably being unfair. The deal is now live on Microsoft’s official site where you can pick up a voucher to redeem at an official store in the U.S. Not sure which stores in your area are “official?” Try this handy link. This still raises next-gen questions in my mind. How many stories have mentioned next-gen systems today alone? Microsoft and Sony refuse to talk timelines for their next consoles, but plenty of rumors are pointing at 2013, if not by the end of this year. Is now really the time to contract yourself into 2014 on a current console? Is Microsoft committing to the 360 through the next two years, or is this a shady maneuver to keep people paying for old tech after they release the new stuff in 12-18 months?
After being outed on Amazon, Activision has made an official announcement about Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse. Activision’s Executive VP, David Oxford, said that “Fans of Family Guy will love that we’ve taken some of the series’ most iconic and memorable moments and built them into an impressive and uncensored video game Anyone who watches the show will appreciate how much we have adhered to its rich and twisted universe and characters.” Writing and voice talents from the show have apparently been tapped for the game, though no furthe details are available yet. It is expected to launch in Fall 2012.
During a recent earnings call with investors, EA has confirmed that we will see new releases in the Need for Speed and Dead Space franchises this year. No news about the games was announced. It’s just an investor call, not a press release. To recap what we know about them: Dead Space 3 is expected to feature an ice planet and a “Shadow Isaac” that mocks his actions and gives insight into his fractured mental state. EA has also discussed moving the franchise into different genres, though the idea of Dead Space 3 as an FPS is unfounded for now. At least one retailer has started taking pre-orders on Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2. However, no other news has come forward about it so the subtitle may not be accurate.
Finally, they aren’t new games, but they are great games – and they’re only $1.00. PixelJunk is having an anniversary sale! Q Games is turning ten, and PixelJunk is turning five, so they’re celebrating by giving you some of the PSN downloadables for only $1.00. PJ Monsters, Racers, Eden, and Shooter are on crazy sale with today’s store update. PJ Monsters Deluxe for PSP, Shooter 2, and Sidescroller are also being reduced by 50%. The PJ games are some of the best-reviewed titles the PSN has, and getting them for one measly dollar should be abig deal. Unless you’ve already bought them all. The sale only lasts for a week so you’ll need to snap up your choices quick-like (as in immediately for me, since I’ll be out of the country starting tomorrow). Of course, when this sale ends, PixelJunk’s newest game, 4AM, will be launching on May 15th.
That’s it for today. And, for me and VGQH, that’s all until May 22nd (or May 25th if I’m too busy when I get home). As you just saw in the last story I am taking a long-awaited trip. I’ll be visting Ireland for ten days. It’s a good time of year for VGQH to take a break, since most of the major news is being held until E3 the first week of June. You should still keep an eye on Big Shiny Robot! while I’m gone. Most of these smaller stories I round up a couple of times a week will likely get skipped, but anything major will still be covered by our other gaming ‘bots. Until I return with a definitive answer about the best way to enjoy a Guinness, Sláinte!