Here I was ruminating on Tuesday that summer is slow enough I should maybe kick this column down to weekly and then I get some hot news to finish up the week. Batman, Mass Effect 3, free games for PS+… it’s a good week for news. Read on!
Let’s start with a little sad news to get it out of the way. Despite reporting a fairly positive quarter, THQ has axed their plans for the inSANE trilogy. On the plus side, according to CEO Jason Rubin, they have returned “all of [their] IP rights to Guillermo Del Toro.” This means the Hellboy director could still make the game with a different publishing partner. Rubin did well with his former company, Naughty Dog, so I’ll trust his judgment when he says this isn’t the right fit for THQ right now. But Del Toro’s a badass and I want to see his game. Hopefully we’ll see a new publishing partner soon.
Assassin’s Creed III has a couple of interesting announcements. First, despite having one for Brotherhood and Revelations, the game will not have a multiplayer beta. The time spent on the beta will instead go directly to polishing the final game. That final game, by the way, will be different depending on your platform. We knew back in June that the PS3 was getting exclusive content. Based on the cover art, we now know that is adds up to 60 minutes of extra gameplay. The extra content is expected to come in the form of four missions, but we have no details on what that will include. We’ll find out October 30, 2012
Mafia III rumors are leaking out of 2K Czech, and they’re inadvertently revealing something even bigger. Apparently the third in franchise was planned as a launch game for next gen consoles but has now been pushed back to late 2013, early 2014 due to staff and budget cuts. The series cool, for what it’s worth, but the big reveal here is that it clearly indicates the next gen consoles (particularly PlayStation 4) are planned for some time before “late 2013.” It’s all rumor and conjecture, but this seems to strengthen plenty of other whispers I’m hearing – including the rumor that Thief 4 has been pushed to neXtBox (as I choose to call it) late next year.
The name Paul Dini should mean something to you. If your only hobby is video games, just know that he wrote that fantastic stories for both Batman: Arkham games. Unfortunately he won’t be writing the next one for Rocksteady, currently planned as a Silver Age / JLA story. There doesn’t seem to be any hard feelings on either side and he’s not ruled out for future work in the franchise. According to a blog post from Dini he asked about writing the third about the time Arkham City released. Rocksteady wasn’t ready for that planning yet and politely let Dini know that he shouldn’t turn down work waiting on them. So, he didn’t. His schedule is now booked through summer 2013, and Warner Bros. Interactive is looking to get the story rolling now. I’m sad to see Dini off the project, but there are a lot of other writers that can handle it. And as long as Dini has work, there will be great content rolling out somewhere.
Some time ago Crytek’s CEO, Cevat Yerli, put feelers out on his blog to gauge fan interest in TimeSplitters 4. He says the results are in, and they indicate a review of what they’re doing with the franchise necessary. But, interest simply isn’t high enough for the fourth game yet. That “deeper evaluation” is likely to yield “some surprises” soon, but it apparently won’t be the next sequel.
I’ve been fortunate enough to play some of the LittleBigPlanet Karting beta recently. I obviously can’t say much, but I will admit to being an awesome racer and a terrible creator. Others are making some seriously cool things. You’ll get your own chance at it soon as Sony has revealed it’s coming November 6, 2012. They’ve also announced the preorder incentive, the Game Maker Pack. This includes three Sackboy skins with accompanying karts: the race car driver (shouldn’t that be the default), the UFG mascot, and Sony VP of Random Weirdness Kevin Butler. They are also planning a special edition with a lenticular cover and other, unannounced goodies.
It’s no secret I’ve been a Shepard junkie since March so I’m devouring anything I hear about the upcoming DLC for Mass Effect 3. Additional dialogue options unearthed in the Extended Cut ending indicate “Leviathan” could introduce you to the Reapers’ creators. Incidentally, they are also the first to be reaped. Catalyst Child is likely their creation as well. This also hints that you may see new scenes in the ending after completing the DLC. Further exploration also mentions “Omega,” hinting at extra DLC that my be planned for taking Shepard back through the Omega Relay from Mass Effect 2‘s ending and reclaiming the area from Cerberus. Still no details on a release date, but they have announced a $10 purchase price.
The free games just keep on piling up for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Earlier this week I downloaded The Walking Dead, but still haven’t had a chance to play them. Now Sony has announced three independent games coming at no extra cost. Riptide Games’ Knytt Underground, Big Sky Infinity, and an unnamed title will all be free at launch for eight weeks. All three titles are set for this year. The free period is for PS+ subscribers only, and there’s no word yet on how much they’ll be for everyone else. [Note: My source for this information is in the UK, so this may be regional and not applicable to US subscribers.]
Things over at Irrational Games are shaking up. Regarding Bioshock Infinite, the planned co-op multiplayer segments have been cut. This doesn’t seem a big deal to Ken Levine, who summed up the move by saying they “are experimenting with things, and only if they are good enough will we put them in the game.” Fair enough. I’d rather see them cut it now than waste time producing sub-par elements. Behind the scenes, two key elements of the staff, director of product development Tim Gerritson and art director Nate Wells, left the company on Thursday. Moving the other direction, Gears of War executive producer Rod Fergusson has joined the team. The in and out changes do not appear to be related.
On the subject of gaming staff, things definitely seem to have taken a weird turn at Bioware Austin, or is that EA Austin? According to the official line from EA, Bioware co-founder Greg Zeschuk is taking a vacation. His LinkedIn account looks like it’s more along the lines of no longer working for the company. He claims he left the studio in charge of the latest Star Wars MMO in May. Zeschuk and fellow co-founder Ray Muzyka were both conspicuously absent from a recent leadership meeting according to a source inside the meeting. This is highly unusual for the pair. Rumor is the studio will be renamed EA Austing as Matthew Bromberg, CEO of Major League Gaming, takes over Zeschuk’s role.
That’s it for the week’s news. I know it’s hot out and there are great games inside, but get yourself some sun this weekend. I’ll be spending the weekend at mom’s in central Utah where I’ll probably get way too much of it. Something about drinking beer in the desert always leaves me sunburned and amnesiate.