LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is out today. As much as I appreciate you reading my article, why aren’t you playing this already? Is it because it’s LEGO and for kids? If that’s really your excuse you obviously haven’t played the LEGO games and you need to rectify that immediately. I’m actually so backlogged right now that I’m just getting to LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean and I have to admit it’s one of my favorite entries so far. And I don’t even like the film franchise. Traveller’s Tales is just that good. But, now that you’re here, finish the post. Then buy LEGO Batman 2
Thanks again to one of the numerous international ratings boards for outing an upcoming release before the official announcement. This time it’s the British Board of Film Classification that’s since pulled their listing for Bioshock Ultimate Rapture. This looks to be the first two games bundled with all of their respective DLC. No release date is announced, but this seems like a good way to build some extra hype for Bioshock Infinite, coming February 2013.
All of the speculation about Valve and Overkill’s collaborative effort seems to have made way more out of the situation than is actually happening. It appears the two were working together on a piece of DLC for Payday: The Heist. The “No Mercy” expansion will be an add-on for Payday that takes place in Left 4 Dead‘s Mercy Hospital. A character from Left 4 Dead will likely be making an appearance though the mission will not be considered canon in the zombie franchise. According to Valve’s Chet Faliszek there will also be a “fun little easter egg with a payoff later in Left 4 Dead.” Is that payoff coming as Payday-related DLC for Valve’s franchise, or upcoming for the thrid game?
Harmonix Director of Communications and Brand Management, John Drake, recently mentioned new IPs for the company on the Harmonix podcast. What are these new IPs? We don’t know yet, but we know what they’re not. According to Drake, “Dance Central and Rock Band are kind of our big, established IPs. And man oh man are we working on multiple – like, more than two – new triple A IPs, right now that we can’t talk about at all. None of them are Rock Band or Dance Central titles. It’s not a previous game. It’s not Led Zeppelin Rock Band. This isn’t – I’m not talking about Rock Band 4. I’m not talking about the next Dance Central game. I’m talking about new, crazy stuff.” Harmonix are the masters of rhythm gaming, so is this another entry in that formula, or something entirely new for the company? They are also working Dance Central 3 and Rock Band Blitz.
If the reviews on Telltale’s first episode of The Walking Dead are any indication, the expectations for the next episode are high. But when will we see it, and what will it be? The developers have finally announced that it’s expected “around the end of June.” That’s not very specific, but that pretty much means today or next week. As for what you’ll be playing, the second episode joins the group three months later, when “things have gotten tenser [sic]—food is scarce, and no one in the party is a particularly good hunter.” Hopefully this will keep up the quality and be able to deliver on the promise of consequences for choices.
Not only has a special edition been announced God of War: Ascension, but there’s also special edition coming to get you caught up. The God of War Omega Edition will contain both HD collections and God of War III in a steel case with a numbered, limited edition statue. Pricing and release date haven’t been announced. The Ascension special edition is $80 on Amazon and comes with a special case, 8″ Kratos statue, digital soundtrack, dynamic theme, avatar pack, multiplayer Double XP unlock, and the Online Pass. The prequel releases March 12, 2013.
The pinball ‘bots around here went a little nuts when “The Avengers Chronicles” pack was first announced for Zen/Marvel Pinball. That anticipation is finally getting its payoff today with the release of the four new tables. But that’s not all of the great news from Zen Studios. They’ve also announced that Zen Pinball 2 is scheduled for release in mid to late July for PS3 and Vita. ZP2 will actually be a free download that will serve as a platform for all tables released under Zen Pinball, Marvel Pinball, and future releases to be purchased a la carte. That means your existing tables from a prior purchase of either game will work in the new platform, along with some minor bug fixes on some. Which basically describes how the original Zen Pinball worked on 360 anyway.
Another expansion releasing today is DC Universe Online‘s “The Last Laugh.” This expansion focuses on PvP experience and brings a new weapon along with new Light-Powered and Kryptonian Legends characters. As the title would indicate, the Joker is up to no good and has hacked Safe House computers to allow for 4 on 4 battles. Headquarters matches will take place in the Watchtower or Hall of Doom and will feature 8 on 8 match ups.
SEGA’s recent financial setbacks have resulted in a shuffling of the release schedule, most notable affecting the western release of Anarchy Reigns. The game is scheduled for July 5th in Japan, but is now being pushed to first quarter 2013 for Europe and North America. I’m going to assume SEGA knows what they’re doing, but I have to admit that I don’t see the logic. You have a game that is complete and ready for distribution, but you’re going to wait six months to sell it? I would expect that the sooner you can start to recoup your investment costs, the better. Certainly the hype doesn’t seem to be very high for the title, but is that going to change next year? My strategy would be to release it now, in the summer doldrums, instead of early next year when everyone is still trying to catch up on the backlog of holiday games, buying AAA titles used and at steep discounts. Releasing now means a price drop right in the middle of the holiday shopping season, a good tactic to sneak your way into a few homes that can’t afford the newest Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed. Then again, SEGA’s been selling games for decades. I’ve been writing about them for a couple years. I yield to your expertise, SEGA, but I question it. And I’m not the only one. Atsushi Inaba of Platinum Games, the developer for the title, went on Twitter after the announcement to voice his own frustration, explaining that the game is done and they aren’t developing anything additional for the international versions. He’d like to see a global release, but as the developer, they get very little say in the publishing process.
Is there a window on when DLC should be released? Bethesda’s Rage released in October of last year, and a new PEGI rating has something called “The Scorchers” coming soon as a downloadable expansion. The Scorchers were a clan that was cut from the final game, but are apparently making a comeback. The late release “Dawnguard” for Skyrim seems to make sense for such a huge game, making it more of a traditional PC expansion pack than simply a downloadable add-on. But Rage? It doesn’t seem to have sold very well, and reviews were sort of all over the map. DLC generally has a two-fold purpose, 1. generate small scale sales to enhance developer/publisher value, and 2. discourage used game sales by encouraging owners to retain copies for further play. But if you wait 8+ months after release before even announcing the DLC, hasn’t the used games market already kicked in, effectively limiting the number of consumers willing to make the smaller transaction as well? Really, if you bought this game used for $15, are you going to want to pay another $15 (guessing at the price here, nothing official) for an extra four hours of content? Good job for supporting the game, Bethesda. But, like SEGA, I’m questioning your strategy in regards to timing.
Well, that’s it for the early edition. And I apologize for my profuse editorials. I usually chime in a little bit, but it seems I’m feeling extra passionate today as my opinions have been scattered throughout this relatively slow news period. As much as I love E3, I seriously don’t care for the drought in the weeks following. Check back Friday for the rest of the week’s news.