Delays are nothing new in the gaming industry. That’s why I’m not shocked that Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 has been delayed from its August 21st schedule. What is slightly odd though, is that it’s now set for October 9th. Not that October is a bad mmonth for games, but because it’s a very big month for them. The first Ghost Warrior was decent game, but nothing special. It found some sales, but was hardly a huge hit. Delaying the sequel for the extra polish makes sense if you’re trying to build a loyal fan base. A lackluster game with an even more lackluster sequel is a good way to lose a lot of good will. But, being a lackluster, under-the-radar game means you probably shouldn’t be squaring off with Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty, Halo 4, Resident Evil 6, and every other AAA title on the market. If you’re already giving up two months for quality, why not give up three more for sales and release this in the January doldrums?
I came across an odd item concerning Persona 4 Arena that I just can’t seem to make sense. Of course, nothing about that series makes sense, but this concerns its release, not its content. One of the nice but unnecessary things about the PS3 is that it’s region free. For most gamers this is irrelevant, so you may not know that on most consoles you have to buy a game from the same region of the world that you bought your console. If, like one of our ‘bots on this site, you bought your Wii while living in Japan but now live in the US, you’ll need to import your Wii games from Japan for them to work. Sony has avoided this by making their consoles, and all of the games, “region free.” For some reason, Atlus now intends to release Persona 4 Arena as “region locked.” Frankly, this doesn’t make sense unless the copies from various regions have different content, something that would have been applicable before Australia created their newest rating, but is just silly now. Considering the game is set for release in Japan on July 26th, the US on August 7th, and the EU on August 31st, maybe they’re just trying to prevent the western countries from importing it early. But, why? And why is Sony okay with it?
So, The Walking Dead has an ongoing comic, a TV series, and a successful adventure game from Telltale. Also, Activision has the gaming rights. Which means the obvious next move is to cash in and turn the franchise into a cloned FPS rather than the unique property it is. Thanks Activision. Just what I need from an artistic and touching IP is a game that makes it just like all the others. Am I being unfair? Possibly. Activision has hired Terminal Reality, developers of the Ghostbusters shooter, to create a “haunting, unforgiving quest to make their [Daryl and Merle Dixon] way to the supposed safety of Atlanta.” I like the idea of playing as the Dixon’s, I’m guessing with the option of co-op. I also like that you’ll probably see a lot of crossbow. Having a resource management component that makes avoiding zombies just as important as killing them is also a good thing. Now if I could just get over my dread of Activision making a zombie of the entire franchise, I might actually be able to support the game. Current plans are for 2013 on XBox 360 and PS3.
The release date for Sony Smash Bros. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has finally been announced, along with the preorder bonus. Like every other game you’ve been considering, this one is scheduled for October, the 23rd to be precise. Preordering will get you an extra character skin for everyone on the roster. By the looks of it, you’ll be getting a Robin Hood out fit for Sly Cooper (actually I think it’s one of his relatives from the upcoming Thieves in Time), a Deimos skin for Kratos, spacesuit for PaRappa, pink pirate get-up for Fat Princess, etc.
The two question marks were filled in over the weekend at EVO. Heihachi Mishima of Tekken fame is the second third party fighter for the game (Big Daddy was first). Also, Toro Inoue, the Sony “mascat” you may remember from SFxTekken, was announced. Two more characters are expected at Comic-Con this weekend.
Speaking of Toro, Capcom is has taken the DLC model and turned it into something completely insane. I can’t make heads or tails of what they’re doing with Street Fighter x Tekken now. We’ve known for a long time that the PS Vita version would introduce 12 additional fighters (for a total of 50). It was also discovered immediately after release that those same fighters were on the PS3 disc, but locked. The plan, we thought, was for the characters to be released with the Vita version in Fall. Those 12 fighters will actually be available on PS3 on July 31st for $19.99. If you do buy the Vita version you’ll get the 12 characters included. You’ll get two codes included in the box. One will give you alternate skins for the original 38 characters on your Vita. The second will allow you to port the 12 fighters to your PS3. So, if you plan on getting the Vita version, don’t spend the $20 now like everyone else you want to face online? Why does this seem like a punishment to people who are buying your game twice? Vita preorders will also get alternate costumes for the 12 (SF: Blanka, Cody, Dudley, Elena, Guy and Sakura; T: Alisa Bosconovitch, Bryan Fury, Christie Monteiro, Jack-X, Lars Alexandersson and Lei Wulong) that can be ported to PS3. I suppose that makes up for it?
343 Industries apparently likes to keep busy. Not only are they developing Halo 4, which looks to great despite the doubters, but they’re also looking to capitalize on the success of Halo Anniversary. No time frame has been specified, but work on Halo 2 Anniversary is underway. When it comes to HD revamps of last-gen classics, they’re a dime a dozen, but few of them are special. Halo Anniversary was definitely one of the better one, and Halo 2 version is going to make a lot of people very happy.
Gearbox promised some kind of unlockable content for Borderlands 2 if you have a save from the first game on your system. I doubt anyone was expecting anything serious, and it’s not. Your “Vault Veteran” rewards consist of a new head and costume for each of the four heroes. A new skin may also apply to the upcoming fifth character via DLC, but since it wasn’t mentioned in the release I doubt it’s happening. I’m not even sure how to describe the weirdness that you’ll be unlocking, so I’ll let the picture handle it.
With last week’s announcement that NiGHTS into Dreams is being remade for HD, it’s the perfect time to reveal NiGHTS as a playable racer in Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed. NiGHTS is the fifth racer announced that’s new to the series. Unlike Gilius Thunderhead (Golden Axe), Joe Musashi (Shinobi), Vyse (Skies of Arcadia), and Danica Patrick (real life), NiGHTS won’t be cruising the tracks in a kart. Instead he’ll be flying along the surface just like in his own game. Still no release date for the kart racer, but the NiD is hitting your console’s store in Fall.
You’ve probably already beaten Dragon’s Dogma, and by now you’ve used your code to get the Resident Evil 6 demo. But, according to the game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, “It would be best if you held on to the game for a bit.” Based largely on the success of the title, which was better than expected, they’ve got new gameplay elements on the way. Based on fan reaction, a sequel is also very likely, though not official.
The final issue of Marvel’s team up with Rockstar will be available this week. Max Payne 3: Fight and Flight focuses on Max’s days at the academy and the beginning of his police career. This expands on, and could be considered a companion to, the memories triggered in Chapter 4 of the game. Like the previous two chapters, Sam Lake and Dan Houser wrote the story. Fernando Blanco is on Pencils. You can get the final issue when it releases later this week from the official website. But you might as well enjoy the Michael del Mundo cover now.
Rumors of an Assassin’s Creed movie have been stirred about for several years, but talks stalled between Sony and Ubisoft after the game company reportedly made “ridiculous” demands. Despite the controversy, the film could be gaining momentum once again with a somewhat surprising announcement. Michael Fassbender has apparently agreed to star in the film as well as co-produce with his company, DMC Film. The star of X-Men: First Class and Prometheus, Fassbender could be adding to his repertoire with at least one, and possibly two characters for Ubisoft’s second film (the first was 2010’s Prince of Persia). Fassbender will likely be playing the hero of the first game, Altair, and possibly the series true star, Desmond, as well. Casting Altair and Desmond as the same actor could seriously effect the future of the franchise, assuming it’s successful. If this turns into a series of films, not only would he need to come back as Desmond, but it would only make sense for him to play Ezio and Connor as well. With no writer or director (both more important than the actor, even if it is Michael Fassbender) in place the film is still far from happening, but a little closer than it was last week. Wrath.o.tron has his own take on the news here.
If historical game movies aren’t your thing, what about future game movies? CBS Films has optioned the rights to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I imagine this would probably include the entire Deus Ex universe, but the film they’re planning is based specifically on the Eidos reboot from last year. Roy Lee (The Departed) and Adrian Askarieh (Hitman, Kane & Lynch films) are attached as producers. Eidos Montreal will be working with CBS to insure the appropriate look.
With two huge Transformers games under their belt, you might be wondering what High Moon is planning next. If they were aping Michael Bay, the obvious one is to talk about ruining a classic franchise then cancel it. But the difference would be that High Moon did a good job with the franchise and we should expect them to do it again. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a new TMNT game. But it could be one featuring a different Marvel animal, Hit-Monkey. There was a website for the game for a short time, but it’s now bricked. That points to an announcement likely coming at Comic-Con. The only thing the online universe has been able to salvage from that temporary website is a single teaser image, advertising a 2013 release.
There seems to be a bit of a dissension in the ranks over at Namco Bandai. While the suits have been asking Katsuhiro Harada what he plans for DLC on Tekken Tag Tournament 2, he’s publicly declared he’s opposed to charging for anything additional. Harada even told Eurogamer that “given the choice to include paid DLC or quit Namco, I would maybe quit.” It takes a big pair to lay that out publicly. Harada’s views on paid DLC for fighting games have also been made clear, “If you’re making a fighting game, all of the elements necessary to enjoy it should be on the disc, or should at least be available for free.” He did concede that unnecessary but desired elements could be employed. Additional fighters, bonuses, move sets, etc. would be game breaking to his way of thinking. Less vital elements, he specifically mentioned classic soundtracks and legacy ending movies, could be leveraged for the company without affecting actual gameplay. I’d assume those elements could also include color swaps. Cutting that line a little finer, alternate costumes and additional stages might also fit the bill. I have little to no interest in fighting games, but I am interested to see how the situation gets resolved.
That’s all for the early edition this week. Nothing truly groundbreaking, but there’s still bound to be something in here you’ll like. Check back Friday for the latest news that breaks as we enter the first couple days of San Diego Comic-Con.