When it comes to open world games, how big is too big? Some would argue that GTA: San Andreas was already much too large. Certainly Red Dead Redemption had so much to do that it became difficult to focus on doing the story. But can a game really get so large that it loses much of its fun factor? I explored the Capitol Wastes for close to 200 hours and spent even more in New Vegas. The world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is just as (or possibly more) massive. Yet it seems it could get even bigger. How much bigger? Morrowind bigger. By travelling to Stendarr’s Beacon, at the most south eastern point on the map, you can find a narrow path tucked away in a ravine that ends with Tony Hawk’s favorite video game cop out, the invisible wall. But, looking through the archway, you can see this is clearly where the Skyrim territory meets up with the rest of the Tamriel continent. Not content to let it be, a Finnish PC gamer used some console commands to look beyond the arch. The other side still has leaves, textures, and details that eventually drop out as you proceed further. Knowing Bethesda and their DLC tricks, it certainly seems this could be built into the main game as part of a planned expansion. But what is it? Well, looking northeast from outside the arch you’ll see Red Mountain in Vvardenfell, a part of Morrowind. Beyond Morrowind, he’s also found a version of Imperial City’s landmass. Check out his blog to learn more about how he did it and what he found. So is this part of planned DLC? Or is Bethesda planning the entire continent of Tamriel for Elder Scrolls VI and just built this game onto a specific portion of the larger, incomplete map?

I seem to see at least one story a week about a classic game or franchise getting an HD remake. And, for the most part, I think this is great. Retro games aren’t bad just because they no longer push the technology. I still play my old NES and SNES games. And I have plenty of fond memories of both previous PlayStations. Seeing that gameplay kept alive in a prettier fashion is ideal. The latest HD update, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, comes on the heels of Ubisoft’s latest entry to the franchise, Rayman Origins. The upgrade to this 2003 game is scheduled for release on PSN and XBLA this spring. In addition to the 15-20 hours of main campaign, you can also expect nine unlockable minigames, tropies/achievements, and online leaderboards – all at 60 frames per second. Sign me up.

While we’re on the topic of retro HD collections, Konami will be including a new soundtrack, as well as the original in Silent Hill 2 as part of the Silent Hill HD Collection. You’ll be able to switch out the voice cast one the fly. This seems like kind of a strange feature, but it’s definitely a nice treat for long time fans. “Unfortunately, due to factors both technical and logistical, Silent Hill 3 will be presented with new voices only,” according to Konami’s Tom Hulett. The collection is scheduled for release January.

If you’re planning to pre-order the Max Payne 3 Special Edition that was announced last week, GameStop would like to be your source. They’ve got the first pre-order incentive map announcement, the Cemetery. Other incentives at other retailers are expected to be announced soon. All of them will likely be available as paid DLC a few wekks after release. Preorders will get you the bonus for free and ahead of the crowds. But, is that really a good thing? Getting multiplayer maps before everyone else just means they aren’t very populated, doesn’t it? Regardless, the game is scheduled for March 6th. I’ll continue to post the additional incentives as they’re announced.

It may feature small cars, but the announcement of MotorStorm RC is big news. This miniaturized version of one of the top off road racing franchises is scheduled as a launch title for PS Vita this February. But it’s also set as a PSN release. The big news, one payment gets you both games. Playing on your console offers 4 player split screen, while the Vita lets you play anywhere. The game will feature 16 tracks in four locations, as well as full trophy support, leaderboards, and all the other bells and whistles you expect from Evolution Studios.

That’s probably not enough to convince you to spend the cash on a Vita though. I don’t blame you. It’s an expensive piece of equipment, but it does look very awesome. I’m debating whether it’s a launch purchase or not. What really is going to decide its day one sales are the launch games. Nintendo learned that lesson the hard way with the 3DS. So what games can you expect at launch? Well I’m glad you asked. Just being the messenger, I won’t claim this is the full list, and release dates are always subject to change, but here we go:

• Escape Plan
• Everybody’s Golf
• Gravity Rush
• Hustle Kings
• Little Deviants
• ModNation Racers: Road Trip
• MotorStorm RC
• Reality Fighters
• Super StarDust Delta
• Top Darts
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss
• Unit 13
• WipEout 2048

Strong launch lineup? Sure. Maybe I’m convinced. But, have you seen the price of memory for the PS Vita? GameStop has recently listed the propietary cards starting at $30 for the 4gb, up to $120 for the 32gb version. As if using the ProDuo in the PSP wasn’t bad enough, they’ve got to devise a whole new memory card just for the Vita? And they’re charging three times more than the going rate for standard memory cards? I readily admit to being a Sony fanboy, but it’s braindead moves like this that earn them some justifiable hate. Sony themselves have just convinced me to wait on my handheld purchase. First, I’ll wait for that game library. Then, I’ll wait for a third party to release low cost memory. Then I’ll wait for a price drop of the second-gen system to take advantage of those first two hurdles.

It’s sad to say, but way too many people aren’t going to have a clue who or what this next bit of news is about. The lovable egg mascot, Dizzy, is making a comeback. Sort of. This classic icon of gaming has been off the scene for years (decades, really) but is looking to make waves again with a whole new generation of gamers on iOS and Android. Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, one of the better Dizzy games, will be available on December 9th. Playing this on your phone iPad isn’t quite as cool as it would have been on PSN, PSP, or XBLA, but at least it’s Dizzy. And if this all sounds like gibberish, just buy the game. This is retro-fun at its best.

Amid the threat of a class action lawsuit, EA is actually giving away the free copy of Battlefield 1943 that may or may not have been promised to those who bought Battlefield 3 new on PS3. Whether or not this was a planned move is irrelevant now, as is the argument of whether they had actually “promised” the game, or just discussed its possibility. Ultimately, if you’ve activated your online pass that came with your copy of Battlefield 3 on PS3, simply log on to 1943redemption.battlefield.com after your regions specified date and sign in to your Origin account. After selecting your territory you will receive a voucher code for PSN. Redeem this code from your XMB (account management under Playstation Network) to get your free copy of Battlefield 1943. Availability as follows: EU 11/26/11, North America 12/10/11, and Asia 12/17/11.

It should go without saying that Modern Warfare 3 is suffering from the plague of cheating. The entire franchise has a history of cheaters and hackers. Indeed, the entire online FPS genre is almost synonymous with campers and glitchers. Not to mention this title alone has sold more copies than every other video game ever made, combined. [Please note, that last statement wasn’t entirely true.] Much like DICE and EA have done with Battlefield, Infinity Ward and Activision are not being shy about banning cheaters. Over 1600 players have been given the ban hammer. To report a player, simply click on them in the post game lobby and select “Report Player.” Video evidence will not be needed because of the extensive stat tracking programs in the game. The developers will review the match with great depth to determine if cheating has happened. If so, the offender will be banned based on the severity of the offense – something Rob Bowling, Creative Strategist for Infinity Ward, calls the Douche Scale. I applaud him simply for the incredibly apt name. The higher your score on the Douche Scale, the longer your ban is enforced, with “Perma-Douhce” being a very real possibility.

Can’t get enough Batman: Arkham City? It appears more of the pre-order DLC will become available on December 20th, with some extras. This batch looks to include more Riddler’s Revenge Challenge Rooms with an all new Batcave, Joker’s Carnival, and Iceberg Lounge. It certainly appears all of the pre-order bonuses will be available eventually. Exactly when and at what cost, is not yet clear.

Despite all of the troubles that followed Team Bondi, and Brendan McNamara in particular, after the release of L.A. Noire, it appears the remnants of the group may be working on a new game. McNamara and many of the other Bondi staff have moved on to KMM Studios (makers of the Happy Feet movie) where they are working on Whore of the Orient. Interesting name for a game, but it’s actually a nickname for the city of Shanghai. I can’t say for sure if they’re going for the Shanghai reference, a double entendre, or something else entirely. But McNamara has said the title will be based on “one of the great untold stories of the twentieth century.” Release dates and other details are obviously not available yet. Considering McNamara has shares in Depth Analysis, it’s possible the facial analysis from L.A. Noire may be making a return.

I’m beginning to look at the Assassin’s Creed franchise with equal parts trepidation and excitement. I’ve loved every game in the series so far. I distinctly recall reading an interview in Game Informer after the first game was released where Ubisoft said plainly that the story had been designed as a trilogy in which Ezio was the second part and a third assassin would end the tale. Expanding Ezio’s third of the story into three games didn’t bother me. But expanding it even further beyond the third assassin starts to look like I’ll never see any resolution, just more confusion and losing the plot threads (a la Lost). Yet, a recent market research survey indicates that may be exactly what happens. It’s entirely possible that this survey is complete fiction, but the screen grab looks legit and I’ve seen a fair share of these surveys in my time. Essentially, this question found about 3/4 of the way through the survey is asking which locations and times the taker would like to see future iterations of the franchise. There is a glaring error in the last line that you would expect would not have made it by Ubisoft quality control. That may be an indication of a fake, but I’ve seen many similar problems in surveys I’ve taken – including a misspelling of the founder’s name for the prominent U.S. beer manufacturer who ordered the survey. Sometimes I wonder if they’re red herrings in case of a leak like this one, but mostly I just think the survey builders are kind of stupid. Regardless, for your consideration, which of these settings would you like to experience as an Assassin?

If you follow the media in any way, it’s become quite plain that Hollywood has completely run out of ideas and are now dredging up old properties to rehash for more money. The same thing happens in video games. HD collections of classic titles are a generally positive by-product of this phenomenon. Annual sequels are a little more hit or miss. But what about outright stealing a great idea from a competitor? Franchise kart racers are an obvious one. Nothing like taking that iconic character that’s netted you so much cash and dropping him/her/it into a go-kart alongside friends and enemies for rolling good time, right? Well, Sony has apparently decided that Smash Bros. is just too successful of a model to leave alone. SuperBot entertainment’s latest project has been codenamed Title Fight, and it looks like an all-out mayhem brawl between Sony mascots. Remember that awesome Long Live Play commercial Sony ran about “Michael.” That amy have actually been an early teaser for the game that will apparently feature Sweet Tooth (transforming into a truck mech), Nathan Drake, Sly Cooper, and Fat Princess. It’s a safe bet you’ll also see the likes of Cole McGrath, Jak, Ratchet, Sackboy, and Kratos. While I don’t care for the idea of blatantly ripping off a Nintendo property, I do think Sony has the “cast” to fill out a game like Smash Bros. And it’s to be expected. Once you make something successful, someone’s bound to copy it.

This should probably be held in the rumor category until we get official confirmation, but it seems plausible. It looks like Traveller’s Tales and LEGO are teaming up yet again for another romp in the DC Universe. And this time they’ll be going beyond the Dynamic Duo with LEGO Batman 2: Super Heroes. If this is as promising as it looks, it wouldn’t surprise me if they drop Batman from the title altogether and go with LEGO DC Universe or something similar. If this leaked (possibly faked) poster is any indication you’ll get to play as Batman, Superman, and other heroes against the likes of Joker, Lex Luthor, and the rest of the DC rogues gallery.

Proving yet again just how pervasive Assassin’s Creed has become, Square will be including a downloadable outfit for Noel Kreiss in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Price, release date, and other vitals are not yet announced, but we do have a pic!

That winds up a rather lengthy version of Video Game Quick Hits, the last one for November 2011. The length, of course, comes from my being lazy over the holiday weekend. But, hey, that’s what holiday weekends are for, right? Come back Friday for more news.

Before I get to the news, I feel I should point out that there likely won’t be a VGQH on Friday. I’m not a Black Friday shopper, but I do plan to take full advantage of my long weekend and probably won’t even bother to open my computer (unless I’m looking up an FAQ for a game that stumps me). I’ll actually be spending Black Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium watching the Utes do their part in securing a PAC-12 playoff berth. However, if you’re planning some Black Friday shopping, there are some crazy deals you should attack while you can. Lots of stores are offering a $50 discount on the 160GB PlayStation 3 that also includes several extras. Discounts on 4GB XBox 360s also seem bountiful, but that’s way too small of a hard drive to do anyone any good. Best Buy is offering Battlefield 3, Rage, and Batman: Arkham City, at a doorbuster price of $30. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will be $35 all day long. If any of these are games you are considering (and why wouldn’t you be), it will be months before you see them at a similar price. But that’s enough of deals. If you plan to go out on Black Friday, you already know what you’re planning to get. Let’s get to some news.

Two weeks ago Arse-bot wrote up a story about the disparity between critic reviews and user reviews for Modern Warfare 3. That led to a pretty extensive conversation in the comments about who was actually leaving the user reviews on Metacritc. While sales figures do not always equate to quality (Twilight movies, anyone), it’s a safe bet that a legitimate ranking of three or less on Metacritic won’t do this well. The game had 6.5 million first day sales – about $400 million. That’s just first day. In the first five days it set a new world record for any entertainment property – over $775 million. Harry Potter doesn’t put up those kinds of numbers in movies or books, not in the first five days anyway. And we’re just talking about one game here. Last year, Black Ops set the five day record with $650 million. In 2009, Modern Warfare 2 did it with $550 million. As a franchise, Call of Duty is now worth over $6 billion. And, if you can somehow ignore those dollars, the game also set a record for PSN, the most simultaneous players online since its inception. Frankly, if I’m Bobby Kotick, I’m saying you can leave me all the negative reviews you please. If an average user rating of 3.1 means my franchise makes more than Star Wars, I want to see what happens if it gets to 1.3.

If you want to hear the latest from Kojima-san on his biggest franchise, try to find a way to get the Christmas issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine UK. It hits stores November 29th. Detailed in that issue are the latest updates for Metal Gear Rising and Metal Gear Solid 5. But don’t get too excited. Hideo Kojima doesn’t say much about the potential fifth game, other than “[w]e’ll probably have to make [it]” and that he wouldn’t be as involved with it as he was for MGS1. Then again, he’s been saying he was backing out of the series for the last three entries. You should definitely pick up a copy if you can as he explains why he continually gets drawn back into the development.

Despite the rush of top shelf games this holiday season, I still can’t get over my excitement for March 6th. Thanks to a ” target=”_blank”>recent video detailing the Collector’s Edition of Mass Effect 3, I’m now even more excited. That’s because some enterprising fan patiently went through the video frame by frame, finding a glimpse of an accidental character reveal. As the video flips through the pages of the art book, the ex-convict turned possible love interest from Mass Effect 2 is quite apparent. Jack has apparently let at least some of her hair grow and has covered up her tattooed flesh just a little more. Jack was my romance option with my male Shepard, and even had a slight, unconsummated flirtation with my raging bitch Shepard – though she didn’t survive. Even if she’s not available as a party member, I’m looking forward to seeing how she gets used in these two scenarios. I’m not sure what her fate will be in my next play. I’m currently planning to run that one as a suicide ending, then reload to finish it a little cleaner.

The latest issue of Edge magazine reached subscribers last week with an announcement that work on “the next Killzone installment” is already underway at Guerilla Games. Steven Ter Heide, the Senior Producer on Killzone 2 and 3 is now the “Game Director on the current Killzone project.” Could this be related to Edge’s rumor that a major Sony-owned studio has moved all development from PS3 to the next generation?

What is it with so many properties announcing sequels when the current game is either pending release, or barely on shelves? The latest franchise I’m hearing about with another new entry on the table is Hitman from Square Enix. Hitman: Absolution is scheduled for release next year. But the recent expansion announcement from Square Enix also included a hint that a new studio planned to open in Montreal (with 150 new jobs, yay) could be working on the next Hitman game. This also coincides with an expansion of IO Interactive (with 100 new jobs), the developer currently working on Thief 4, the next Deus Ex entry, and an unannounced third title. This is good news for lots of folks. Square Enix is obviously doing well to be expanding so heavily. But it’s also good news for gamers who love these IPs and for the good people of Montreal – especially the 250 that fill those jobs.

The special edition release of Max Payne 3 has been announced by Rockstar. The plan is for limited quantities so you’ll want to get your pre-order in before January 15th. The game releases in March. This bonus version will run $100. For that price you’ll get a copy of the game, 10″ Max Payne statue from TriForce, original Still Life art prints inspired by Max’s inner demons, copper and brass bullet shaped keychain with a screw off back, Classic Multiplayer Character Pack (eight characters from past games – including Max, Mona Sax, and Vladimir Lem), Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack (G9 Grenade Launcher, Hammerhead Auto Shotgun, and Molotov Cocktail), and the official soundtrack. I like the idea of exchanging the standard concept art book for still life pritns inspired by the game. Considering I have no use for a Max Payne statue I’ll be skipping this set, but I do like the way they’ve changed up the standard just a little bit.

Really quick one to finish up: I mentioned a possibility for the Jak & Daxter HD Collection recently. That has been officially confirmed. All three PS2 games will be coming to PS3 in February 2012 in 720p and stereoscopic 3D, with crisper visuals, smoother animations, and full trophy support.

That’s it for the week. I’ll be back next Tuesday with another edition. Please safely enjoy your holiday weekend. Eat a lot, drink some more, go see the new Muppets movie, and cheer on our Utes. Even after we beat Colorado on Friday, we still need UCLA and Arizona State to lose. So feel free to cheer on USC and Cal, respectively.

I’ve got a pretty extensive editorial at the end today, so let’s jump straight in to the news:

Bethesda has announced a title update coming for Brink. It sounds like it’s offering a lot, but it doesn’t answer the most pertinent question. Why? The update brings clans and tournament structure to the online play. Which would be cool if not for a few obviously glaring flaws. One, this game was released in May. If this was something the game needed, is six months later really the best time to release it? Two, this game was released in May. No one plays it online anymore – mostly because it wasn’t that great from the beginning. Third, this was released in May! I actually saw this on a used bargain bin for $5.00 on Tuesday. Maybe that is the right time to release extra content, when you’re no longer making money on the title because it’s selling used for less than the price of a Happy Meal. Sorry, Bethesda, you’ve got better things to be doing.

Speaking of better things Bethesda could be doing, they’re also working on a patch for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In response to an angry gamer, Pete Hines (PR and Marketing Boss) stated “Patches/updates take a little time. We can’t turn it around quite that fast. It’s been three days. Calm down, we’re working on it. “We are continuing to work on an update for all platforms to address… any bugs and perf[ormance] issues we can.” It appears there are very few players experiencing real game breaking bugs. At least nothing on the scale of what PS3 users suffered on Bethesda’s Fallout titles. The bugs most people seem to have are some texture issues and framerate lag. Which, while annoying, are pretty much par for the course on a game this size. Then again, if it’s something that can be patched smoothly, maybe they should have just hired Splash Damage to fix it pre-launch instead of having them waste time on a patch for Brink.

Oh yeah, I’m back to harping on Splash Damage. I was actually all set to change my tone and be a lot nicer to them because of a rumor about the developer working with Disney on a Marvel-themed title. That game could have been good, but Paul Wedgewood has been quick to squash this rumor. “We’re not working with Disney. We’re not building a pop culture IP. We’re only using BRINK tech for BRINK updates,” Wedgewood said. Kind of a shame. Brink isn’t that great, but if you skinned it with The Avengers it could have been something special.

But, rather than speculate about a Marvel game that may never be, let’s talk facts about DC Universe Online. The game switched to a free to play model on November 1st, and they’re now announcing the next expansion, “Lightning Strikes.” Following the successful introduction of Green Lantern and his powers in “Fight for the Light,” DC now wants to give lightning powers as they introduce The Flash. The expansion, planned for later this year has several additions. You’ll get a Central City map, The Flash Museum Duo (which lets you time travel to see Barry Allen’s origin), electricity powers, new gear inspired by Black Lightning and Professor Zoom, and a slew of new characters (including The Top, The Trickster, and others). If you currently have Legendary subscriber status this will be a free upgrade. Free or premium members will need to pay $9.99 (which will make you premium if you’re not already).

With Assassin’s Creed: Revelations releasing this week to thunderous applause, it’s now time to officially hear about its upcoming DLC. As mentioned last week, the trophy list exposed plans for at least four additional multiplayer characters and some additional maps. While Ubisoft has yet to comment on the maps, the four character DLC pack is planned for December 13th at $3.99.

If you’re more interested in DLC that’s already released, check the PSN Store for Uncharted 3‘s Killzone Pack. This pack includes Helghast Capture Trooper armor and a couple of extra helmets. Not bad for $1.49. Incidentally, if you’ve already opted for the Fortune Hunter’s Club (still available for $24.99) you’ll get this gear for free, despite it not being part of the planned package. In addition, you’ll get the rest of the planned DLC at a 45% discount. My real question is, how do you expect to blend in to these desert environments with such strange gear?

Sanzaru Games has a had a busy year, releasing the Sly Cooper HD Collection and announcing the fourth game in the series, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Now they’re finally ready to start sharing some details. The fourth game picks up immediately after the events of the third game. Not only will Sly and the gang be traipsing around the timeline, they’ll be doing it alongside Sly’s ancestors. Many of these characters were introduced when Sly learned some of their abilities from the Thievius Raccoonus in the first game. In each episode Sly will meet with one of those venerable ancestors. As a player, not only will you learn more of the family history, you’ll also learn more of their abilities as you are able to play as each ancestor. The only reveal so far is Rioichi Cooper. Sly learned his Spire Jump from this Cooper, but that’s not the only trick he has up his sleeve. Not only did this raccoon invent sushi, he also invented a long distance Spire Jump variant known as the Leaping Dragon Technique. Sanzaru has promised more details in December’s issue of Game Informer. Oh yeah, did I mention this is in 3D?

On a very related note, Sanzaru Games President Glen Egan has also announced the Sly Cooper HD Collection is coming to PSN. The retail version is already available, and has been for some time. But if you’d rather just load these games up on your hard drive, you can do it on November 29th. The full collection will be $29.99, but you’ll also now have the option to purchase each game individually for $9.99 each. All three games will be in HD, 3D, and 60 frames per second with full trophy support.

As a die hard fan, I picked up the Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition when it launched back in October 2010. That special edition came with a 48 page graphic novel, All Roads, introducing a few of the game’s key characters and served as a kind of prequel to the story. I’ve read better graphic novels, but that one wasn’t bad. Finally, more than a year later, this graphic novel is seeing a wider release. Dark Horse has released it digitally ($2.99 from their online store and iTunes) which will preserve the value of the limited run of print versions. If you’ve wanted to read the novel, or if you’d like a teaser as you hold out on the game to await the Ultimate Edition with all of the DLC to be released on February 7th, this is a good time to pick it up. Three bucks is pretty good for a 48 page comic written by Chris Avellone (the game’s creative director) with art by Jean Diaz and Wellington Alves.

If the online passes popping up everywhere have been bugging you, or preventing you from playing as Catwoman, take a look at the way THQ has done it mostly right. If you use that online pass that came with your PS3 version of Saints’ Row: The Third, you’ll get a free copy of Saints’ Row II. Why do I say this is doing it right? First, they aren’t charging you $10 for something that actually changes the narrative of the game (Batman: Arkham City). Second, they aren’t actually taking anything away from you at all just because you bought it used. Instead, they want to give you a gift worth about $20 just for buying their game new. The real beauty of this is that it might actually make your used copy more valuable if you decide to sell it. If you don’t want or need the bonus game, don’t activate your code. If you sell it to a third party before February, you might get a little extra incentive from them if they know the code is still good. Why only until February? That’s why I said “mostly right.” Much like the bonus digital copy of films you get when buying on blu-ray, the code is only good for a limited time. It also loses points for only being available in North America. I realize there’s a whole different set of laws to contend with around the world, but Europeans have as much option to choose new or used as I do, and this incentive should be there for them as well.

If you love 2D fighting, Capcom has a happy announcement for you. The PlayStation One version of a Capcom’s arcade classic is making its way to PSN. Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors is tentatively scheduled for November 29th. This is one of the greats from the mid-1990s, right alongside Super Street Fighter II Turbo. I have a lot of love for these characters, but mainly from their inclusion in Super Puzzle Fighter. The only better news we could get about this franchise is that a new one is coming in HD. Maybe if this re-release sells well….

Namco Bandai has announced four more characters for Soul Calibur V. Cervantes, Lizard Man, and Yoshimitsu are all returning favorites. New to the series is Xiba, a 16 year old with a white tiger tail. While he is a new addition, he certainly appears to be filling Kilik’s role.

In addition to the free, pre-order costume packs mentioned on Tuesday, there’s a whole pile of new skins coming for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Each pack will run $3.99, but you can score them all on March 6th with a $20 value pack. There are some great additions for Marvel nerds, including the Scarlet Spider and Planet Hulk. The Mega Man skin for Zero shown in the strategy guide is also included. I’ve got pictures of all of them, but I’m going to skip the three I already posted on Tuesday for the sake of brevity.

Rising Dead Pack (11/22/11)

Evil Twin Pack (12/6/11)

Ancient Warriors Pack (12/20/11)

Brawler Pack (1/10/12)

Femme Fatales, Villains, and New Age of Heroes Packs (1/17/12)
Animal Pack (1/24/12)

Weapon Expert Pack (2/7/12)

Viewtiful Strange Pack (2/21/12)

That’s the end of the week’s news, but allow me to editorialize a moment.

With the rumor mill flying, and several studios being named as working on dev kits, it’s really starting to look like the next generation of video game consoles will be announced very soon. Ubisoft and EA have basically confirmed that they are working with the next generation of XBox (be that 720, Project Ten, or something else entirely). Avalanche Studios recently announced a game they’re calling Project Mamba to be released in 2014 and is widely believed to be next gen. So, when can we expect them? We know the WiiU is hitting next year. PS Vita is coming in February. The industry prediction is that Microsoft’s next console will be released in 2012. Seeing as no official announcement has been made, I’d expect that to be near the end of the year, likely in the prime holiday shopping season. But what about PlayStation 4? Sony has been very tight-lipped, but the announcement of Gran Turismo 6 is a pretty big tell. After recently acquiring Sucker Punch, formalizing their already exclusive relationship, I would expect they’ve got something big up their sleeve with them. After all, Sly and inFAMOUS were both huge successes for the last two generations. Should we expect Sony to release in 2012 as well? Coming out a bit later seemed to hurt their early success this generation. But maybe Microsoft is seeing the PS3 install base growing and they’re now trying to head that off by releasing their new console before they had planned. Either way, we’ve hit the five year mark, the traditional life span of a console. Sony had planned a ten year life cycle for PS3, but no one seriously expected it to be the flagship device for that long. We’re also seeing enough advancements in PC gaming that a new console will be needed to keep pace sooner rather than later. This is definitely a story for us to watch. I foresee an announcement coming from Microsoft soon after Christmas, probably early January. I have lots of speculation, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. Feel free to ask me in person and I’ll probably share. I just don’t want to document anything yet.

See you next week.

Last Friday I had several leads on new entries in existing franchises, and none of them were a surprise. The odd part was that most of them either just recently released the current iteration, or were actually still several days from doing so. In a similar vein, I found this week that Polyphony Digital is working on Gran Turismo 6. Now GT5 has been out for a year, so it seems about right to announce the sequel. What I find odd, however, is that I heard about GT5 several years before the end of the PS2’s life cycle – back when it was planned for that console. Now, with rumors that XBox Project Ten could be releasing in 2012, is it out of line to expect another prolonged development cycle that pushes the latest Gran Turismo onto the PlayStation4? According to Kazunori Yamauchi, “What really will be the separating factor [from GT5] is something that we can’t update through a DLC is something that obviously has to be saved for GT6.” What gameplay elements are so huge they can’t update the already robust GT5 system? Maybe it’s not gameplay at all. Maybe it’s hardware….

Rumors continue to build regarding the Grand Theft Auto V trailer. While we now know that the game takes place in Los Santos, San Andreas, there’s plenty more to speculate. First, rumors that Tommy Vercetti may be the main protagonist seem to be false. In fact, Ned Luke of Law & Order has been identified as the voice of the narrator – who is probably the protagonist as well. Over on the imdb page, Luke is listed as playing Albert de Silva. Then again, that same page also has Young Maylay rumored to be reprising his role as Carl “C.J.” Johnson. Frankly, that just seems out of Rockstar’s style. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Maylay’s voice in the game, but I wouldn’t expect a return of C.J.

If you’ve been waiting patiently with your redeem code in hand for the Bloodbath Arena DLC on Dead Island, we have good news. The wait is nearly over. The game has received generally good reviews, but the rampant glitches and bizarre online issues have been a plague, keeping the dev team busy with patches instead of finalizing the promised pre-order incentive. The add-on, which seems to be essentially a “hoard” mode, will be adding four new arenas and the “brain wave bomb” on November 22nd. If you didn’t get your pre-order code, you can still pick up the DLC for $9.99.

In other DLC and pre-order news, incentives for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 have been announced. Kind of a late announcement, considering the game launched today. Regardless, getting this from GameStop scores the Femme Fatales Costume Pack (Morrigan, Chun-Li, X-23, Storm); Amazon has the New Age of Heroes Costume Pack (Strider Hiryu, Doctor Doom, Cyber Akuma, Sentinel); and Best Buy will carry the Villains Costume Pack (Super Skrull, MODOK, Crimson Viper, Wesker). Also revealed in the official strategy guide is a tease for a new costume for Zero. It appears you’ll be able to dress him as Mega Man. Why Capcom thinks this is an acceptable substitute for the blue bomber himself is beyond me.

In one of the more bizarre pre-order incentives I’ve seen in some time, Asura’s Wrath could actually be made easier depending on where you get the game. Amazon is offering the Devastator pack that gives you two extra in-game gauges. One will reduce damage taken by Asura, while the other fills his Unlimited Rage faster. Similarly, Best Buy is giving you the Infinity pack. This pack offers Extinguisher and Zealot modes, which accelerate cooling after overheat from heavy attacks and prolong Unlimited Rage, respectively. GameStop’s incentive is the only one that doesn’t seem to affect how the game plays. They’re giving you the concept art book that flips over to feature a Penny Arcade comic exploring how Asura would handle everyday situations. Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of overly hard games so the Amazon and Best Buy boosters look interesting. But, if you don’t want to nerf your game with add-ons, that comic book looks great. The game is out in February.

It’s becoming the norm for big online shooters to suffer from cheating. The teams behind Halo took pretty drastic measures earlier this year. Now DICE and EA are coming down hard for Battlefield 3 cheaters. According to the official Battlefield Twitter, “This week we’ve banned hundreds of offending accounts and have stats-wiped accounts for exploiting (such as boosting).” DICE is also working a patch to reduce the blinding caused by the tactical flashlight and possibly using the EMP drone to counter mortar spam. In the meantime, if you’ve been cheating by boosting or glitching, you just got served. Although, I do have to question, if you release a game with glitches that let players rack up kills, points, or whatever, is it really fair to punish them for exploiting that glitch? Especially when you offer rewards for doing more of them? Wouldn’t it be more proper to just remove the glitch?

And that seems to be the end of the news for this week’s early edition. Check back on Friday for more updates.

Lots to cover this week, so let’s jump straight to the news:

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon has more DLC on the way. This time they’re teaming up with a top fighting franchise to make your fighter jet look more like a bareknuckle fighter. Coming November 15th for $4.99 will be two skins, Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima of Tekken. Seems like an awful price for two skins, but maybe they’ll include some sort of stat boost?

Also coming next week is a patch for Dead Island. The game tried to be very groundbreaking in its use of online co-op in a single player campaign. And, for the most part, it worked. Unfortunately they still had plenty of bugs at launch and Techland has been committed to fixing them. I doubt this patch will handle all of the problems everyone is having, but it certainly seems to address some major issues. In addition to general stability and freezing glitches being repaired, here’s a partial list of tweaks you’ll see with the patch:

• Level cap raised to 60
• new blueprints for weapon mods
• Infected being nerfed
• 50% increase to Purna’s ammo capacity
• skill level required for picking a lock is now clearly indicated
• respawn point selection is now smarter
• and plenty more

Take Two Interactive got a double dose of bad news this week. First, their second (fiscal) quarter report shows a net loss of $47.3 million for the period. This is opposed to an $8 million profit for the same period last year. Mostly this appears to be the lack of a major release. Last year’s second quarter saw both Mafia II and Civilization V hit shelves. The second piece of bad news is that X-COM will apparently not be making its planned release in March. The title has been delayed to next fiscal year (April 1, 2012 thru March 31, 2013). This means Take Two is now relying heavily on their already released games from top franchises, including L.A. Noire, Borderlands, Red Dead Redemption, and Grand Theft Auto. Think this puts much pressure on the recently announced GTA V? Damn right it does.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is hitting shelves next week, and we’ve already got a scoop on some upcoming multiplayer DLC. Much like we saw with Arkham City, the announcement of trophies/achievements has exposed four additional playable characters and six extra maps. I imagine, like Arkham City, that some of these are related to preorder incentives. The four characters (Brigand, Corsair, Gladiator, and Privateer) each have a special trophy unique to their skills. Dyers, Firenze, Imperial District, Jerusalem, San Donato, and Siena will be taking you through Italy and the Middle East with the map pack add-on. If you’re curious, here are the relevant trophies:

• Character Pack:
• Stopped Dead – Obtain 3 Hidden Gun kills during a session of Steal The Artifact as The Corsair (Multiplayer).
• The Vulture – Obtain 5 Ground Finish bonuses in Manhunt during a session as The Brigand (Multiplayer).
• Pirate’s Bravery – Use the Bodyguard against your pursuer as The Privateer (Multiplayer).
• The Juggernaut – Perform 3 kills using the Charge as The Gladiator (Multiplayer).
• Map Pack:
• Carnival – Stay blended for 3 minutes during a Wanted session in Siena (Multiplayer).
• Wild Rage – Perform 3 Stuns without dying in Jerusalem (Multiplayer).
• Restrained Violence – Obtain 5 Kill Assist bonuses during a session of any Team Mode in Dyers (Multiplayer).
• Straw Hat – Perform 2 kills from haystacks during a session in San Donato (Multiplayer).
• The Spice of Life – Obtain 2 Variety bonuses during a session in Firenze (Multiplayer).
• Up and Down – Perform 5 Leaps of Faith during a session of Assassinate in Imperial District (Multiplayer).

In further news for Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft has already announced that the next game is under way and it is a “major” release. According to Yves Guillemot (CEO), “There will be another great, full-fledged Assassin’s Creed title next year. It will be another major release and we will be communicating more about it in the coming months.” It’s probably safe to assume that this will be Assassin’s Creed III and will release about this time next year. Early rumors suggest it will be related to a December 2012 end of the world scenario. Does this mean a whole new historical assassin, possibly connected to the Mayan calendar? Or are we finally getting our Desmond game? Exciting prospects. I’m looking forward to the “coming months” to learn more.

Ubisoft isn’t the only company looking to the future of a franchise whose latest game is still unreleased. Saints’ Row The Third from THQ is also coming next week, but that isn’t stopping them from talking about Saints’ Row 4. In an interview with G4 TV, Danny Bilson (Executive VP) said the next game is underway and will be “much wilder.” Whoa. The third entry has zombies, dildo bats, Professor Genki, giant Hulk fists that disintegrate pedestrians, and a myriad of other crazy shit. Going “much wilder” doesn’t even compute as a possibility.

While I’m on the subject of announcing next year’s sequels, EA and Activision have surprised absolutely no one by announcing another Battlefield and another Call of Duty, respectively, for 2012. What I do find interesting about these announcements is something EA’s Patrick Bach said about using Frostbite 2 on the next title: “”There’s nothing we know about now that the new consoles would do differently, rather do more. More processors. Bigger memory pools. Everything we have and more.” Wait, what? New consoles? I’d be surprised if we see release of the rumored XBox Project Ten or a PlayStation 4 next year, but this comment makes me thinks it’s more likely than I’d thought.

I wouldn’t normally put this in my news category just because it’s about something that’s already happened, but it’s just too cool to ignore. With the Playstation Store’s update on Tuesday came a new outfit for your Little Big Planet 2 Sackboy, and he’s strange. Stranger, actually. Stranger than what? No, no, you misunderstood. The skin is Stranger. As in Stranger from OddWorld. How freaking cool is that? Take a look:

Then again, this is supposed to be a news column, so how about something related? According to Stewart Gilray of Just add Water (CEO), “Stranger’s Wrath HD is being submitted to final Sony QA in the next few days, with a launch as soon as we can get it to you.” Assuming QA approves this, and with JAW’s reputation for quality I am sure it will, we should be getting some Hi-Def Stranger very soon. Get your live ammo ready….

SEGA’s upcoming Binary Domain had a special multiplayer character announced this week. Seeing as the game is being developed by Yakuza Studio, it should come as no suprise that Kazuo Kiriyama, of the Yakuza franchise, will be shooting around in a near future Tokyo this February. While fighting for the government, Kazuo will be sporting his signature white suit. Fighting for the resistance, he’ll be showing off his dragon tattoos with no shirt. Special characters are always a fun fan service treat, and this one just seems appropriate considering the setting and developer.

We’ve got a potential game announcement gaming from the Australian ratings board. These ratings pop up occasionally before the developers and publishers have announced the game and I’ve rarely seen them when the game doesn’t get officially announced within a week or two. This time, it’s The Simpsons Arcade Game for multiple platforms. Seeing as its being developed by Backbone Entertainment and published by Konami, this looks like a repeat of the quality action we saw when those two companies teamed up to release the X-Men Arcade Game to PSN and XBLA. I wasted a lot of quarters in the arcades on this one. I think my brother and I spent so much one day that we actually beat the damn thing. And I plan on doing it again when this hits the download queue.

I love ratings board leaks. This one comes from Germany and its an HD remake of another classic trilogy from the PS2. We’ve had God of War, Sly Cooper, and Team ICO collections. What’s left? Don’t even ask. The two obvious franchises are Ratchet & Clank and Jak. And the German rating leak seems to confirm that Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II: Renegade, and Jak 3 are coming soon as the Jak & Daxter Trilogy HD Collection. If you somehow missed these games in their first generation, you owe it to yourself to play the HD remakes. These were developed by Naughty Dog, the same people whose success on PS3 is so great it’s Uncharted! [Oww. I’m officially fired from puns.] No word yet on release date as we don’t even have an official announcement, but this looks like a spring/summer title to me.

By now everyone knows that Batman: Arkham City is fantastic. But what about that other “Batman” game that’s coming? You know, the FPS one? Gotham City Impostors is now set for January 10, 2012 with a $14.99 price tag. But, if you want to get in on the action early, sign up for the beta now.

About a month ago we got our first look at two European special editions of Final Fantasy XIII-2. So what do the North Americans get? Well, our Collector’s Edition will contain a 20 page artbook and a four disc soundtrack. All of it will be bundled in a nice, limited edition, hardcover case with art by Yoshitaka Amano. It looks very nice, and the soundtrack for this series has always been top notch. This would be a great deal for a $10 premium. Unfortunately, this package will run $79.99, which I’m just not convinced is worth it. Take a look, and then decide which version you’re preodering for January 31st.

I reported on Tuesday that the servers for NBA 2K11 would shutting down later this month. 2K Games has heard the fan reaction and will be extending the servers to April 2012. With the My Crew and Online Leagues available on this version, but not 2K12‘s, as well as the continued instability of 2K12‘s online connections led to the fans’ reactions. Strangely, NBA 2K5 is also listed as having its servers shut down in April. Why does that one last so long, when 2K11 was originally slated for only 13 months?

We’ll close today’s VGQH with a public service announcement. Buy Rayman Origins! Why? Is it a great game? Does it break new ground? Hell if I know. It is getting good ratings from reviewers, mostly in the 7.0-9.5 range and has an 87/100 on Metacritic. But, frankly that’s of secondary importance. Mostly it’s because Tony Key, Sales Executive at Ubisoft, has stated that supporting Michael Ancel by buying this game will enable the creator to better proceed with Beyond Good and Evil 2. I realize that’s the corporate mindset, but do you really need to just throw it out to the public like that? Oh well, if that’s the only way to get a sequel to one of the best sleeper hits of the last generation, I guess I’ll be buying my first Rayman game. At least it looks like a good one.

I didn’t expect a huge update this week, but it just kept getting bigger. So let’s get right to it with the bad news first (though there’s some more bad news later for some gamers).

I always hate to hear about layoffs, especially when so many are already struggling. The big cut this week comes from Silicone Knights. The developer behind X-Men Destiny suffered a heavy blow when they laid off 75% of their workforce. This massive house-cleaning comes after the Canadian government had already issued a $3million grant to the company. The developer had recently completed a project set for publication by Activision that was cancelled at the last minute from the “high corporate level.” No reason for the cancellation was given, but Activision is known for very high critical and commercial standards from their developers. X-Men Destiny scored a very low 53/100 on Metacritic with sales figures to match.

In other financial and business news, Ubisoft has acquired another development studio, RedLynx. This is the studio responbile for Trials HD on XBLA, and its upcoming sequel, Trials Evolution. For RedLynx, they’ll now have more publishing power, making multiplatform releases more of a reality. For Ubisoft, this acquisition expands their online and physics expertise. This seems to be a good match. We’ll be keeping an eye out for what this team can bring to the table for gamers.

Techland recently released Dead Island to widespread praise. Gamers seem to love the first person melee combat with heavy RPG elements and pervasive co-op mode. And with that strong of a fan base, you have to know a sequel is coming. Or at least it appears that way. The developer recently filed a US trademark for Dead World. Good news for fans, but I kind of hate the name. It just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. But it could also be an early indication that the sequel will expand beyond the fictional island of Banoi.

Have you seen the Grand Theft Auto V trailer yet? If not, go watch it now. Wow. Change your pants, then come back to read the rest. To me, it actually feels very much like an opening sequence instead of a trailer. It doesn’t address the rumor of multiple playable characters but it definitely takes place in Rockstar’s fictional Los Angeles. While the trailer isn’t specific, it has been confirmed that it’s just Los Santos and its surrounding countryside, not the full state of San Andreas. The trailer does show a few aircraft (including a blimp!!!) but there is no confirmation that you’ll actually be able to pilot them. The one other bit Rockstar has confirmed is the return of multiplayer. This should be no surprise to anyone. I just hope it’s a little better than GTA IV‘s. Now, can I get a release date please? Maybe, like, next week? Please? Pretty, pretty please?

I wouldn’t even consider this news, seeing as how everyone saw it coming, except Bethesda actually issued a press release about it and announced a date so I might as well. The Ultimate Edition of Fallout: New Vegas, featuring all of the DLC right in the box will be releasing on Febraury 7, 2012. If you’ve been waiting a year to play this just so you could get this version, it will be a good use of your Christmas gift cards. It’s pretty glitchy on PS3, but it’s a fantastic game in one of the best gaming universes I’ve ever explored.

Also getting a special edition re-release is Sony and Quantic Dream’s noir thriller Heavy Rain. This Director’s Cut will include the full game, “The Taxidermist” DLC, the complete score by Normand Corbeil, new menu interface with Move support, eight “Making of” bonus videos, three dynamic themes, 15 pieces of additional concept art, and two bonus trailers. Ultimately this looks more like the type of extra content you’d find on a DVD release of a movie, not a special edition of a video game. But, honestly, this game doesn’t need more bells and whistles. It is incredibly different from what you’d typically expect of a third person “action” game, but this was a serious contender for my game of the year in 2010. That’s not an easy task for something that released in February. You seriously owe it to yourself to challenge your expectations of a game by playing this one. If you do decide to skip this (shame on you), you can still download the Heavy Rain Crime Scene Dynamic Theme for free to celebrate its release on November 8th.

Ridge Racer: Unbounded has been given a release date of March 6, 2012. This franchise has been around forever (and led to a hilarious sound bite at a Sony E3 press conference a few years ago) but is making some heavy changes for this iteration to keep up with the times. First, smashing into other cars and through walls is not only possible, but encouraged. Second, user created tracks are now a major feature. We’ll have to wait until March to see the track building interface, but I think it’s exciting. I’ve loved playing user-created tracks in ModNation Racers. I’m excited to see that mechanic hit a more realistic racing game, instead of a kart racer.

Also announced for release is another entry in a popular series, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots. Of course, the only information we have right now is a 2013 release. Check the Chrismas issue of Official XBox Magazine on November 30th to get the first details.

Remember when DC Universe Online came out and you thought it looked awesome but couldn’t convince yourself that $15 a month to play a console game was worth it? What if it were free? Ta-da. On Tuesday the game went up on PSN with three new levels of player involvement. You can actually now play the game completely free (after you download the crazy huge file that won’t work in the background, meaning your console’s tied up for 5-7 hours depending on your internet connection). Of course, like most free to play models, this experience is limited. You’re level-capped and have limited inventory slots. But you can still fight alongside or against your favorite heroes and villains – including Batman, Superman, the Joker, and more. Buying $5 or more in DLC (including the new “Fight for the Light”) will permanently upgrade you to premium status, getting you more character and inventory slots. For the full experience, including the ability to earn PSN trophies, you’ll need to join the ranks of monthly subscribers with Legendary status. If you decide to cancel your monthly subscription later, you’ll revert back to Premium status automatically. Former subscribers that have left the game are already Premium members. This is great news if you’ve been wanting to get in on this MMO. Personally, I’m resisting. “Free to Play” doesn’t accurately describe the costs of addiction and divorce.

The Strategy RPG genre seems to be slowly dying on the modern consoles. But Sidequest Studios, makers of Soldner-X, aren’t ready to bury it yet. The studio will be releasing Rainbow Moon, a PSN-exclusive with 20-30 hours of quest and 100+ hours of side missions, in the first quarter of 2012. No major details have been released yet, but it certainly has a nice art style and the soundtrack from Rafael Dyll has a lot of promise. If you’ve been missing this genre, this is definitely a game to watch. I’ll continue to cover more updates as I see them.

Another intriguing upcoming PSN-exclusive, this time a “mini,” will be coming November 22nd (November 8th and free for PS+ subscribers). Where is my Heart? is a side-scrolling, puzzle platformer with a unique twist. The basic idea for the game comes from Bernie Schulenburg being lost in the woods with his parents. As he faced his family’s personal and relationship issues in the face of adversity he slowly designed a game with an incredibly unique twist on the platforming genre. It’s best to let him describe it. Suffice to say it looks cool, I’m excited to se how it plays.

“I was interested in expressing the sense of being lost and without orientation via pure game mechanics. The approach I decided for, was to take the regular platform puzzle game and split up the screen into many separate panels (or little windows into the game world, if you prefer). The game then shuffles these panels and places them back into the screen at unnatural positions. Therefore, as a player you don’t know exactly where in the game world your monster is located. The challenge is on you to find your way.”

Despite all of these exclusives, Sony is still managing to burn customers and anger their user base. Currently, any content purchased from PSN can be activated on up to five consoles or five PSPs. Yes, this sometimes leads to game sharing (downloading content your friend bought on his/her account for your system, or vice versa). But their changes coming on November 18th seem a bit extreme to combat the problem. Beginning on that date, all purchased content will be valid on only two devices. I’m still checking to see if minis or PSOne Classics can be activated on two of each, or two total. This shouldn’t affect most people, assuming you don’t game share. Certainly there are individuals with more than two PS3s in their home (or multiple homes) and this is unfair to them. However, it is possible to deactivate content from a system, then reactivate it on another one. Also, Sony will be launching a website to allow you to deactivate from your PC. This last bit is long overdue, as I can’t currently download video to my PS3, being that my first, YLOD system is the only activated device I’m allowed. Also note, any content purchased prior to November 18th will still have the five system cap. The new rules apply only to new content after November 18th.
[Update: Sony has confirmed to me that items purchased can be activated on a total of two PS3 systems and two PSP systems. That is four systems total for minis or other multi-use items if you use two of each.]

Finally, just to keep us from hating Sony a little too much, Square Enix has announced their “Winter of RPGs” on PSN. Starting November 8th, this season long event will bring you some great RPG classics from the company. Chrono Cross is the first to hit, followed by Final Fantasy V on November 22nd, and Final Fantasy VI on December 6th. It appears all three games are ports of the PSOne release that gave us the recent PSN version of Chrono Trigger. All three are great games, but I’m most excited for Final Fantasy VI. Old farts like me still give this one the occasional time-sucking run on their Super Nintendos or Retro-Duos (as Final Fantasy III). Seriously, how many grinding battles have you run just to make sure all of your characters have the Ultima spell with only a x1 Esper? And how many out of control savage battles have you won or lost while laughing your ass off because your team consisted of Gau, Mog, Yeti, and Mimic? Yeah, I’m getting this one. If for no other reason than to have it on my PSP.

And that’s it for the first week of November. There are some great titles coming. Sony is simultaneously disappointing and thrilling me. The holiday season looks to keep me flush with top shelf games. Not only am I getting hyped for 2012, but I’m already seeing titles I’m itching to play and I have to wait clear to 2013. Wow. But that’s enough for now. Check back Tuesday for more updates.

Happy Halloween everyone. This is one of my favorite times of year. Unfortunately, I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t been able to really enjoy the build up to my favorite holiday. It seems the gaming industry have all been pretty busy too, since there’s not a whole lot of news coming out this week. I’m going to assume that’s because the developers and PR people are all too busy playing Batman: Arkham City, which has shipped over 4.6 million copies so far. That’s more than double the number for Arkham Asylum in the same time frame. “Copies shipped” and “copies sold” aren’t exactly the same thing, but they are connected and it’s still damn impressive. Congratulations to Rocksteady Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Of course, first person shooters still dominate the market, and Battlefield 3 reportedly pre-sold over 3 million copies before it launched in the US on Tuesday (and in Europe today). I’ve no doubt we’ll easily see another 2 million in the next few weeks.

On to the rest of the news:

I’m really hesitant to mention this, but it’s about Grand Theft Auto V and my excitement overwhelms my good sense. With the first official trailer coming next week, rumors are building already about what we can expect to see. And that’s why I was hesitant to mention it. First, they’re rumors. Second, I don’t want to build hype (or even get hyped myself) for something that may turn out not to be true. The biggest rumors I’m hearing are that the game will take place in L.A., or at least the GTA version of it (be that Los Santos, San Andreas, or something else), and that it will feature multiple playable characters. I’m not sure how much, if any, of this to believe. Another game in California does make sense. San Andreas was a huge hit for Rockstar and a return to that environment makes good monetary sense. Furthermore, some of the early casting call notices I saw for voice talent described characters that fit their sarcastic stereotypes for Hollywood producers and other California weirdos. As for multiple playable characters? We saw that with Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, in a way. We’ve also seen in it in the expansions for GTA IV. But those two expansions also had new stories that butted up against Niko’s tale. It wouldn’t shock me if they changed things up a little by having the player control a limited number of characters, say four, for about ten hours of story each. Ultimately their individual stories would mesh together for some kind of big event. Maybe something like the Reservoir Dogs heist. From there, control could shift from character to character in the final mission. Combining their previous multiplayer efforts with some of the non-traditional co-op schemes we’ve seen in the last few years, there may even be an option to team up with three other players, each taking one character through the finale cooperatively. But again, this is all speculation. That’s just my imagination running wild with petty rumor. Now do you see why I didn’t want to get into it?

As expected, the Exterminatus co-op pack has been added to WarHammer 40k: Space Marine. The update adds two scenarios for up to four players. Three character classes were added: Assault, Devastator, and Tactical. The update should be automatic, so just load up the game to play.

While I’ve yet to see anything indicating a change in the United States, it looks like Metal Gear Solid HD Collection has been delayed in Europe. The set was pushed from November to February with little in the way of explanation. My sources still indicate a November 8th release stateside, but it’s possible that will change as well.

As most fervent gamers understand, the enjoyment of a game isn’t always just the gameplay. Sometimes a good story can make up for shoddy camera work and vice versa. Oftentimes, in both games and movies, the score can change good experience into a great experience. One of the best gaming soundtracks in recent releases has been Deus Ex: Human Revolution. To celebrate that accomplishment, the soundtrack is going to be released separately. Coming November 15th, Michael McCann’s “cyber-noir” soundtrack will be available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and on physical disc (look it up young’uns) from most major retailers.

How excited are you for the PSVita? If the February 22nd release date seems too far away, you may like the recently announced First Edition Bundle. That one is only available at select retailers but you can preorder it now for release on February 15th. In addition to getting the 3G version (in the US, wi-fi only in Canada) a week early, the $350 bundle will also set you up with a 4GB memory card, limited edition case, and the Little Deviants game. Good enough deal, I guess. If they offer a US version with the wi-fi only version, the game, and a 16GB memory card they might have me sold.

Ubisoft held their second annual Digital Day this week to showcase some of their top-tier titles coming to the downloadable space. It looks like a nice catch-all, as there appears to be something for every type of gamer:

I Am Alive: A new take on the survival horror genre. The protagonist returns to his hometown a year after “The Event.” Post-apocalyptic combat is short on bullets, so you may find intimidation a better tool. Entering combat situations by shoving a gun in someone’s face can still be a good tactic as long as they don’t know you’re out of bullets. Coming soon (winter release).

Shoot Many Robots: Pretty much exactly as it sounds. Shoot lots of robots, score lots of loot. Two player offline co-op, four player online. P. Walter Tugnut wages war on the robots of the world. I’m sure I speak for all of the contributing writers here at Big Shiny Robot! when I denounce the very concept of a game devoted to a robot holocaust. Robots are people too, and we won’t stand for this glorification of genocide by the anti-droidists. But if you disagree, watch for this one in early 2012.

Babel Rising: What a concept! While it is clearly a tower-defense style game, it’s really the exact opposite since you’re destroying a tower. The player is God. Not a god. God. As in the God of the Old Testament. And those pesky Babylonians have the gall to think they can build a tower tall enough to carry them to Heaven. Do what any good and just God would do. Smite their creativity and enthusiasm by hitting them with lightning, earthquakes, and floods. You’ll teach them not to want to reach the kingdom of heaven you promised them. 2012.

Project Haste (working title): Developed by Techland (Nail’d), this is ATV racing as it should be: speed, wild locations, insane tricks, customization, and competitive multiplayer. 2012.

Kind of a strange week for news. Not much of anything solid, but there are a few kernels that could really develop into gems. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween weekend. If you’re in the Salt Lake City area, come meet the Big Shiny Robot! crew at Brewvies (677 S 200 W) on Sunday. Geek Show Podcast will be will be showing Creepshow at five o’clock, followed by a costume contest. If you haven’t done one of these Halloween shows before, you really need to check them out. I have seen some fantastic costumes in the last few years. Following the contest, Big Shiny Robot! presents AMC’s The Walking Dead on the big screen. Best part, it’s all free. Good beer and great food are also available.

It’s a war that has been going on for centuries, a constant struggle for control of the arctic and farmlands. Hundreds of casualties in tens of battles have now been brought to your home console in Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken.

Single Player boasts a 15 chapter campaign with some of the most furious pressing of the R trigger that I have ever experienced. You play as a chicken who has presumably been on the same diet plan as Marcus Phoenix, and it is your job to overthrow the evil, oppressive penguin army. The game is played as a you would expect your typical side-scrolling shooter to be played like. Here, however, there isn’t really any side-scrolling so much as you are presented with one screen at a time. You run to the right and shoot baddies as you enter new screens. After entering into a new screen and immediately getting shot before I could react, I spent the rest of the game immediately firing my gun as quickly as I could every time I walked into the next screen. A lot of the time I would just waste ammo but I got too many kills this way. Also, you get a health bar here instead of dying in one hit because you will get shot a lot. Right off, though, the art stands out as very unique. The character design reminds me of Castle Crashers but what really caught my eye was the setting.

The environment is very well done, especially when you aren’t inside another gray army base. There are a levels that take place outside and it looks fantastic. I’ll go so far as to say that the art is the strongest trait of this entire game. The gameplay at first, was pretty fun and I found enjoyment turning militarized penguins into Swiss Cheese.  This got to be very tedious though once I found out that most of the game is played the same way: Walk into room. See enemy. Shoot enemy repeatedly. Repeat.

You cannot shoot in any other direction than straight ahead. This doesn’t usually become a problem because the enemies can’t either but what really bothered me was that I couldn’t jump and shoot. This meant that any time you jump anywhere, you are left completely vulnerable and this get you shot more than you would think. They introduce items like new weapons, a jetpack (which is kind of fun), and even a mind-controlling bugs throughout the course of the game which serve to kind of spice things up. But it all circles back around to doing the same thing again and again.

I can’t really complain about the story as it is just as in-depth as any other side-scrolling shooter I have played. X is the enemy and they need to be destroyed. Not that interesting but it doesn’t really need to be. The voice acting is a little lackluster and the jokes just fall flat most of the time. I would have preferred if they just didn’t have it in the first place, to be honest.

Then there is co-op. This is basically the same as the first game as you play through most of the same areas but with smaller chickens and a buddy at your side. They do much less here to keep you interested in the new story of “Find the President’s Daughter.” They take out the jetpacks and mind control bugs which introduced new dynamics into the gameplay of single player. You will probably spend most of your time accidentally jumping on top of your partner and sending each other into a jumping frenzy. You can stack onto each other to reach higher areas which adds a little new puzzle element but this becomes more of an annoyance than anything. I couldn’t even find somebody who would play through the entire co-op with me as it just got too repetitive for most of my friends.

I think that the art is fantastic but the gameplay definitely needed something more. The single player is more fun than the co-op but even still, I was bored well before the final chapter (15). I give Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken…2/5 Hardboiled Chickens

Multiplatform:
Back to the Future – The Game (PS3, Wii)
Battlefield 3 (360, PS3)
Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer (PS3 Move, Wii)
The Cursed Crusade (360, PS3)
Disney Universe (360, PS3, Wii)
Dragonball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi (360, PS3)
Grease Dance (Kinect 360, PS3 Move)
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan (360, 3DS, PS3, Wii)
Just Dance Kids 2 (Kinect 360, PS3 Move, Wii)
Puss in Boots (DS, Kinect 360, PS3 Move, Wii)

Microsfot:
Dance Central 2 (Kinect)
Kinect Sports Season Two (Kinect)

Nintendo:
Active Life Magical Carnival (Wii)
Captain America: Super Soldier (3DS, already available on other platforms)
Centipede: Infestation (3DS, Wii)
Country Dance 2 (Wii)
Harvest Moon (3DS)
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland (Wii)
Monster High – Ghoul Spirit (DS, Wii)
Nikoli’s Pencil Puzzle (3DS)
PhotoWorld (DSi)
Pokemon Rumble Blast (3DS)
Squinkies 2: Adventure Mall Surprize (DS)
Zoo Resort (3DS)

Sony:
House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut (PS3 Move)
InviZimals: Shadow Zone (PSP)

You know the holiday shopping season is shaping up when you see a release list this long. It doesn’t matter that most of them crap shovelware. All those ridiculous dancing games are what Grandma is buying for the little ones. When what she really should be buying is Disney Universe. The gameplay for this looks a lot like they’re skinning Little Big Planet or one of the LEGO games with Disney characters. But that’s not a bad thing. I love both of those franchises – and I’m a grown man with no children.

Of course, most of the adult male gaming community (as well as some females and non-adults) will be skipping the Disney fun to play the first of two major FPS games set to fight each other on the sales floor this season. Battlefield 3 gets a leg up on its competition, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 by releasing two weeks earlier. Since I have no dog in this fight, my opinion on which will be better or sell more is basically irrelevant – but also more fairly balanced, so I’ll give it anyway. Ultimately I think DICE and Battlefield have shown they are the more robust, and dare I say better, game. Call of Duty has the name recognition amongst fratties and sweet bros everywhere (as well as a better framerate that makes a little difference). If I were to pick one for myself, I’d skip the sweet bro community and go with the one my military friends prefer, Battlefield. But, considering the disposable income in frat houses, Call of Duty (and Activision’s undeniable but evil short-term financial savvy) will be the monetary winner this year.

Kind of a big update today, with lots of pictures. Let’s get straight to it….

Could someone explain Dead Rising 2: Off the Record to me, please? Apparently Frank West wasn’t in Fortune City during the second game, while Chuck was trying to save his daughter. But now he’s been retconned into actually having something very similar to Chuck’s adventure? Actually, hell with it. I don’t need to know. What I do know is that Frank will be an even better zombie-killer come October 25th. That’s when the “Cyborg Skills Pack” DLC is released for $1.99. This pack turns Frank into an awesome cyborg with electric powers, a la Cole McGrath. The add-on will add electricity damage to all of your attacks, increase your overal melee damage, and amp up your electric effects when using appliances. But forget all of that, look how awesome this guy is:

If you’re excited about Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and who isn’t, you may be interested in the DLC pre-order plan Sony has launched. Appropriately named the Fortune Hunters Club, for $24.99 you’ll have access to the upcoming DLC and some extra bonuses. Pre-order the Club now, before the game launches on November 1st, and you’ll get the the first four multiplayer map packs, and three multiplayer skins for free. If you’re planning to buy all of this DLC at $45, you may as well save yourself $20 by ordering it ahead of time. You’ll also get an exclusive XMB theme immediately upon ordering. By the way, this would also count towards the October promotion where you’ll get $10 in November if you spend $60 on PSN this month.

Just a guess, but I’m thinking all of that DLC from Uncharted 3 is going to bring a bunch of multiplayer trophies as well. Not that these little icons (or their XBox equivalent achievements) actually do anybody any good, but it is fun to see them ding up and then compare your scores to your friends. At least, I think it’s fun to compare, but that’s probably because I have the highest level on my friends list. Of course, I’m only at level 15 (with 19 platinums – that’s 1000/1000 for the XBoxers), so the latest news on this front from Sony means little to me or anyone I know. Apparently the trophy level was capped at 50, which a player called Hakoom reached after earning over 15,000 trophies. He has since had his level upped to 55. Is there a new cap? If so, what is it? So far, Sony hasn’t said. Unless you’re Hakoom, or play on a shared account, it’s safe to assume that you’ll never actually know.

Sony’s got a couple of other big news drops this week as well. First, the Playstation Store is now available on the Sony Tablet S. This is an expansion of the Playstation Suite, which brings classic Playstation games to Android-based products. At launch, the PS Store App will have ten PSOne Classics for $5.99 each, with more planned to arrive shortly. In addition to what you can see in the picture, launch games include Motor Toon Grand Prix, Rally Cross, and Wild Arms.

But probably Sony’s biggest news drop for the week is the North American launch date for the PS Vita. You’ll be able to get your hands on the next generation of portable gaming on February 22, 2012. There are currently over 100 titles in development for the device, which is a good thing, considering the PSP has always suffered from a lack of quality titles. Among those 100 are some huge names, particularly Call of Duty, Uncharted, and Assassin’s Creed. The handheld will also come with connectivity to Facebook, foursquare, Skype, and Twitter, making it a social tool as well as a solitary one. You can pre-order the Vita on Amazon now. The 3G version is $300, while the wi-fi only option is $250.

Since the latest way to scrape a little more cash from game consumers has become the collector’s/limited/ultra special cool/thematically titled edition, why not go one step further and make two of them? That seems to be Square Enix’s thinking with Final Fantasy XIII-2, though it’s hardly a new concept. They’ve recently announced the Limited Collector’s Edition, which includes a soundtrack CD, art book, six postcards, a lenticular print, and a clamshell package. Also announced was the Crystal Edition that includes everything from the Limited Edition, plus a t-shirt and premium packaging. Both editions will be available alongside the standard retail package on January 31st. Prices for the special editions haven’t been announced, but I would guess $80 for the Limited and $100 for the Crystal.

Classic, over-the-top, arcade, 90s football action is making a return in HD. My first thought when I saw this story was “how can that be legal?” But, it turns out that EA bought the rights for NFL Blitz from Midway when they went bankrupt. Which makes sense. No one else is going to buy it when EA holds the exclusive NFL video game rights. Regardless, this is certainly inspired by the recent success of NBA Jam‘s return in the downloadable space and I think it’s a great idea. In addition to the classic 7-on-7 gameplay, two minute quarters, no penalties, 30 yard first downs, and players ON FIRE!, updated features to the game include HD, 60 fps, Blitz battles (head to head or two on two match-ups, locally or online), Blitz Gauntlet single player campaign, and an Elite league where you build teams with card packs (bought through in-game currency earned by winning online matches) and gamble them in risk-reward match-ups. The game is set for a January release on XBLA and PSN, $14.99.

I expressed some discontent in Tuesday’s VGQH about Catwoman only being available in Batman: Arkham City via the online pass pack-in with new games. If you don’t buy new, you’ll have to buy the online pass for $10 to access the additional character. Turns out, Rocksteady and Warner Bros. have had a little trouble with his beyond just annoying fans. Apparently, some of the games shipped didn’t actually include the code slip to give the buyer access. Further expounding the problem, some of the packed in codes are not registering as valid with their online service. To be fair, only about one half of one percent of purchasers are having either one of these problems. Which, considering the logistics of a game that will sell this many copies, is still pretty good quality control. If you are one of the unlucky few with a bad or missing code, Warner Bros. wants to help. You can contact the WB Games customer service department via phone (410-568-3680), email (support@wbgames.com), or their forum. So, kudos to them for trying to fix it. But, the biggest advertised selling point of the game could have just been included and avoided this whole problem.

On a related note, Mark Hamill told IGN in May that Arkham City would be his final bow as the Joker. While legions of fans hoped this wasn’t true, it appears the actor, best known for his role as Ken in Corvette Summer (not an epic trilogy by George Lucas), has not changed his mind. Hamill recently posted on Twitter, “Hello/Goodbye Joker! I’ve enjoyed every minute behind the wheel of the Crown Prince’s crazy car- I’m going to miss him more than I can say!!” And we’ll miss your talents behind that wheel, Mark.

I know I’m a little late to the game by just starting L.A. Noire earlier this week. But, if you havent played it yet, you may want to hold off just a little longer. The Complete Edition, which features all DLC cases released so far (and there probably won’t be any more with Team Bondi out of business), will be hitting shelves November 15th.

On the other side of the coin, a game that is getting more DLC is Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. The new pack will include two new skins and a fictional plane. The first skin is a Halloween-themed jack o’lantern. The other is a respectful nod to the legendary Marine Corps squad, a Red Devils skin for the F/A18-F Super Hornet. Your fictional plane is the ASF-X Shinden. All three will be available via XBLA and PSN on October 25th.

It’s never been a secret that the ‘bots around here are big fans of Zen Studios’ pinball games (in whatever incarnation they come on your console). Anyone wanting to step into the virtual pinball arena has some stiff competition already established. That hasn’t stopped Creat Studios, who will be releasing Pinballistik, exclusively to the PlayStation Network, on November 1st. Much like Zen Studios, they are releasing a small version of the game at a relatively cheap price with additional tables available as DLC. The pricing ($3.99 for the first table, $2.99 for each additional) isn’t quite as good as Zen’s in my opinion, but they have an ace in the hole. There will be a local multiplayer (or against an AI bot) battle mode. This looks like it has potential, featuring two players battling on a conjoined table, vying for shared goals. I have a hard enough time playing pinball as it is. I’m not sure if making it actively competitive will change that for better or worse. But it does sound cool. The initial buy will get you the “Circle the Wagons” table. “Sector X” and “Made of Money” will both be available at launch.

It’s not too often that I get really excited for a demo, especially one that won’t be out for another 2-3 months. But when we’re talking about Mass Effect 3, I just get giddy. Bioware announced this week that the demo for Shepard’s climactic third game will be available in January. The demo will include both single player and “Galaxy at War” multiplayer. Considering I just pre-ordered the game this week, a demo doesn’t need to sell me on the game. But hopefully it will set me at ease about the addition of multiplayer to the franchise. And if January just seems too long for you to wait, then I hope you’re buying Battlefield 3. An early unboxing of the game revealed an insert advertising early access for buyers of DICE’s latest FPS. The in-game ticker will keep you up to date about when you’ll actually be able to access the demo. All of this is just to whet our appetites for the full game’s release on March 6th.

As mentioned in Tuesday’s column, I have held the idea of Ezio Auditore da Firenze as a playable character in Soul Calibur 5 as wild rumor. Until I saw the official confirmation from Namco Bandai and Ubisoft this morning. Also announced, but much less cool, is the pre-order bonus DLC: Dampierre, the top-hatted freak show from Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny. You’ll be able to play as both characters when the game releases January 31st.

That’s not the only news in Ezio’s world today. Sony Pictures has acquired the movie rights to the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Apparently they are handling production and distribution of the film, but Ubisoft Motion Pictures will have heavy involvement. The newly formed studio also has projects in the works for Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell movies. I’m looking at this with serious trepidation. Video game movies have a pretty bad reputation. Sony Pictures was responsible for the Jake Gyllenhaal Prince of Persia film. That one wasn’t exactly cinematic gold, but it wasn’t completely awful.

There hasn’t been an announcement that the SSX reboot has been delayed, but it apparently has. The original release window for the game was January 2012. But the confirmed street date is actually a little later, February 14th. Not a big slip, and it may just be related to timing the retail landscape. Regardless, I’m certain many of us can think of worse ways to spend Valentine’s Day than rocketing down a mountain on a thin board catching ridiculous air and bouncing hard on the ground below from holding a trick a little too long.

As we get closer to Halloween, I’m finding an urge to play games that are more themed to the holiday. I just started L.A. Noire this week, which just doesn’t put me into the mood for my favorite annual holiday. Also, I’m apparently really bad at that game. I picked up Costume Quest for free via my PS+ account recently. I think I’ll have to start that one this weekend.

What other games would you suggest for getting into the Halloween spirit?