I think it goes without saying that the majority of gamers prefer Sonic on a 2D plane.  Sega recognized that and tried to address it with Sonic 4: Episode 1, but for a lot of gamers that title fell short. It was close, but not quite all the way there yet. With Sonic 4: Episode 2 not even having an estimated release date, Sega has announced their new full-fledged Sonic title, Sonic Generations.

Somehow Sonic has been split in two: Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic. With each level you can approach it one of two ways, you guessed it: Modern or Classic. In the classic version you will be dashing from left to right. Modern you control Sonic from behind. Try to think of Dreamcast’s Sonic Adventure.

Sega has also announced there will be no power ups or other characters. Just these two versions of Sonic. And supposedly they’ve fixed that momentum problem every one was griping about with Sonic 4: Episode 1. Here’s hoping they get this one right.

Thanks to Kotaku for reporting on this.

I’m not feeling clever enough to write a great intro so I’ll just skip it. Here’s the news:

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is coming in August. We’ve been expecting it to come in two forms, the standard $60 retail box and the $70 Augmented Edition. The extra $10 gets you an artbook, promotional DVD (making of, motion comic, etc.), and a sturdier box with some great art. Recently announced is a third version of the game. The Collector’s Edition includes all of the Augmented Edition bonuses, plus even more exclusive box art, extra mission pack, exclusive in-game weapons, 10,000 in-game credits for weapon upgrades, and an Adam Jensen figurine. But there is a mean-spirited catch. Right now the Collector’s Edition is only scheduled for “select” European countries, Australia, and New Zealand.” Oh, yeah. They’re also extremely limited.

In separate, but related news, Eidos Montreal has shown they are listening to their fans. Recent footage of Deus Ex has shown the “augmented reality” tool that highlights objects of interest through Adam’s cybernetic implants. This can certainly make gameplay more simple for puzzles and other needs, but fans of the older games didn’t like the handholding concept. So, the developers have changed the feature to a toggle option. If you want the highlights, keep it on. If you’re insulted by the feature, turn it off. Personally, I think options like this are great, especially in games that cross genres. Think about this way, if you’re an excellent driver and want more challenge, but suck at gunplay, those two options could have separate difficulty controls in a game that features both – like anything from Rockstar. This makes a better personal experience for each user.

I’ve got another story that’s different but sort of related, mostly in the idea of developers following fan wishes but in a totally different game – Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. For those that remember Oblivion, horses are a topic of disagreement. Some people enjoyed them, but they were basically worthless for gameplay and really just served as vehicle for the horse armor DLC. For the next game, Bethesda doesn’t seem like they want to give up on the idea of mounts, but if they aren’t making the game better they’re not adding them. This seems like a good policy, especially on open world games. There were many little things in GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout, etc. that seemed fun, but they didn’t actually do anything for the game (I’m looking at you John Marston’s terrible horeshoe skills). Representatives of the company also had a good time joking about still trying to sell the DLC even if the feature is cut. It’s refreshing to see that the company at least pays attention to how fans feel about the nickel and dime method, even if I don’t think they were entirely joking.

Of course, Bethesda also announced this week that Skyrim would have mammoths, which they’ll show at E3. And while the two announcements were separate, I can’t help but combine them in my head and think how ridiculously cool it would be to fight a dragon from a mammoth’s back. Especially if I had an armored mammoth.

For those of you waiting for Driver: San Francisco and getting antsy about the delays, it has been given a release date. While it was originally supposed to be coming in November 2010, it is now planned for September 2011.

Now flip that good news on its head if your a fan of Team ICO. Both the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection and The Last Guardian have been delayed. The HD remastering of the two PS2 classics has shifted from Spring 2011, to an undefined date. That seems odd. The new IP has shifted from Holiday 2011 to some time in 2012. Again, the vagueness is strange. While delaying a title that’s already six months or more out isn’t unusual in the gaming world, the indefinite delay of a game planned for the current season is a weird turn. Team ICO has a strong reputation for quality though. If this is what they say they need, I’ll have to trust them.

Yet another delay was announced this week, but one with decidedly less impact. Shadows of the Damned has been pushed back two weeks from its June 7th release date. Shinja Mikami and Suda51’s collaboration will now be available on the 21st. If you haven’t heard of this game, I’m not surprised. It hasn’t received a ton of press, although both developers have a strong reputation for quality and innovation. The story sounds like a bit of Dante’s Inferno ripoff, as the hero, Garcia Hotspur, treks into Hell to retrieve his lover, Paula. Except this game has a semi-sentient gun with a skull that can morph into even cooler guns.

If you haven’t heard about Yoostar 2 you need to, especially now. This is basically the ultimate drinking/party game. If you like movies, acting, karaoke, or laughing then you are the target audience. The game utilizes Kinect or Move, depending on your console, to put you and your friends into scenes from movies, karaoke-style. You can even save your efforts and upload them to Facebook. A new update to the game now incldues YouTube compatibility as well. That means your strange antics reaches millions more potential viewers. In addition, the Facebook side of the game, Yoostar Playgrounds, has received an update as well. You’ll now be able to post your performance on someone’s wall, use power boosts to move up the leaderboards, and receive DLC and other alerts. This all sounds great, but we all know this is just a veiled excuse for homemade satire porn.

PSM3, a UK magazine, is talking up a rumor from an “unnamed source” inside Sony Santa Monica. According to this source, God of War IV will be coming out in September 2012. While the studio did say that GoWIII ended the trilogy, they also promised it would not be the last game in the series. File this under rumor for now. If this is true, you’ll most likely hear something official from E3.

PSN users may have noticed outages of the service in the last few days. Unfortunately an end isn’t necessarily in sight. What’s going on? Sony hasn’t exactly said, but Patrick Seybold (Senior Director, Corporate Communications and Social Media) did announce that it may take a few days to identify and correct this issue. This is a rough week for the problem considering Mortal Kombat, SOCOM 4, and Portal 2 all just launched with very heavy online components (not to mention the inFamous 2 beta codes started being sent). It’s also a long weekend for many people, with today being considered a holiday in some states and countries. Internet conspiracy theorists are all over this one. Although the hackers at Anonymous have denied responsibility they seem to be the number one suspects. Others are saying it’s a Sony plot to convince users that if they paid for the service things like this wouldn’t happen. Regardless, it’s a tough situation for online players and it does raise a question for Sony about how to handle users who already pay to access content, like Plus subscribers or DCU Online players.

And… I guess I’ll leave it on that odd little down note. I hope you all enjoy your weekend, extended or not. Don’t forget, if you’re in the Salt Lake area, you can celebrate Easter with some of the BSR! bots, the Geek Show Podcast, and our friends from the Big Movie Mouth-Off at Brewvies. They’ll be showing two Easter themed movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (there’s a rabbit) and Life of Brian (there’s a crucifixion), free. They also have great food and even better local beer, but those aren’t free. See you next Tuesday on the next edition of Video Game Quick Hits.

If you listened to the latest installment of our half-assed monthly podcast, The Big Shiny Podcast, then you’ve probably already heard that late last week Game Informer broke the news/rumor the Nintendo will be revealing their next console at or before E3! Exciting stuff, yeah? Well, since that news broke, a slew of rumors have hit the interwebs and while it’s hard to say what’s true and what’s not, here’s a break down of all the rumors that are out there right now!

• The CPU will be a custom three-core IBM PowerPC. RAM will be at least 512 MB.
• Will deliver full 1080p resolution.
• Will be backwards compatible – so don’t start trading in all those Wii games to get some cash to drop on this new console quite yet!
• The motion controller will have a built-in 6 inch HD screen
• Surrounding the touch screen will be classic game controls; D-pad, bumpers, buttons, etc. There are also some rumors that are placing two analog sticks on the controller – but, if you ask me I can’t see all of that being crammed onto a Wii remote.
• Possible Blu-ray capability.

Game Informer has claimed to have confirmed a lot of this information with their own sources, but we will have to wait and see what features prove to be true and in what fashion when Nintendo (hopefully) makes their big reveal at E3 this year! One thing Game Informer notes that jumped out was this:

“Nintendo is doing this one right,” said an anonymous source. “[It’s] not a gimmick like the Wii.” What else, beyond graphics, this may imply about the system is unknown. What kind of controls the system will support (we imagine a need for both classic analog configurations and motion controllers) or what level of software and infrastructure Nintendo will provide for online gaming is also unknown. However, it’s a positive sign that the system might be more than just an HD Wii.

While fun, I have always thought the Wii was a little bit gimmicky. But gimmicky or not, both Microsoft and Sony found themselves playing catch-up to try to provide their own version of motion control support for their existing consoles. If Nintendo has taken the time to “do things right” this time around and provide a console that provides both, the true Nintendo experience for the gaming “purists” and the party-game loving casual gamer population.

Myself, Kill-Tacular-Tron and Zombietron have had several discussions about how the Wii is not a “next-gen” console. It debuted a few years after the Xbox 360 but as far as graphics and processing go it’s only a small step above its predecessor. My bet is that this “Wii HD” will be Nintendo’s official entry into the next-gen console game and move units like crazy – not just because it’s a new, better console than the current Wii is, but because it sounds like Nintendo is looking to support third-party developers like they never have before. Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, mentioned last fall that Nintendo needs to do a better job at supporting third-party game developers, and many sources are stating that we will see Iwata and Nintendo live up to their statements with this new console.

Nintendo has made no official statements on any of this, and all of this information is coming from anonymous Nintendo insiders – but many industry experts agree that a lot of these specs, and the timing make sense for Nintendo’s next move and expect to see at least some of these prove to be true at E3.

Sources: Game Informer, IGN, 01net

What do you think of all the rumored “Wii HD” specs? Anything not mentioned that you want to see with Nintendo’s next console? Will you be trading in your Wii for this next console? Sound off in the comments below!

Nintendo announced in a press release today that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS will include a Boss Challenge Mode. This exciting news from Zelda Dungeon states that:

The new Boss Challenge mode acts as an extra treat for those players who reach a certain point within the game. It will provide players with the opportunity to face any of the previous Bosses they have defeated once again, or, the option to face and confront them one-by-one, all in a continuous battle.

This is good news to those who have already played and beaten Ocarina, and even better news to those experiencing the game for the first time. Ocarina has always had a great balance between challenge and fun, but the addition of a Boss Challenge Mode (together with the fact that Master Quest is also said to be a selectable feature in the game) makes the replay value of Ocarina 3DS much higher.

Anybody else think of this when they think about playing the game in Master Quest with a Boss Challenge Mode? Oh, Water Temple, how you have caused hours of anger and frustration to gamers everywhere (including me)!

Oh, and check out this beautiful screen-shot from Japanese video game news-site Famitsu! It’s shiny!

I have to say, I’m pretty excited for Ocarina 3DS. The more news Nintendo releases about it, the more it looks like this is going to be one of the best updated versions of a game they’ve ever done. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS is set to release on June 19th, 2011 in the US.

If you haven’t had a chance, don’t forget to check out the new Japanese 3D Ocarina of Time teaser site.

For more Nintendo and video game news and reviews, keep surfing on BSR.

In one of the coolest crossovers we’ve seen in a while, the game Portal 2 which is being released today, has an interactive teaser trailer for the upcoming J.J. Abrams movie Super 8 set to be release on June 10th. The teaser isn’t very much, but it’s still pretty cool that you get to play around inside the teaser instead of the game just having a preview for the movie inside the extras section. To access it in the game type “map e1912” in your console at the main menu and press enter. Or if you haven’t gotten the game yet you can watch a clip of someone else doing it that just hit the internet.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_9feTVWk_Y

This is incredibly cool and possibly something that could happen in future games as well. Have you played Portal 2 yet? How do you like it? Are you excited for Super 8?

Hopefully you decided to read this edition of VGQH before hitting the game store. I know once you get home with Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat it might be a while before you hit your favorite sites again.

First things first, Nintendo has a new console announcement. And it’s HD. This is obviously a bigger story than VGQH should be handling. But rather than tell you about it myself, I’d encourage you to listen to the most recent BSR! Podcast.

There is some cool new information about the multiplayer Infestation mode in THQ/Volition’s upcoming Red Faction Armageddon. This is your basic co-op survival mode. Waves of Martian enemies will come at you from all sides, you’re job is to kill them. Working together is optional to play, but required to play well. The Martian beasts have better vision in the dark catacombs, but you have dual pistols, a magent gun, and more.

If you’re a multiplayer junkie, you might also want to know what’s been revealed about the upcoming Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (November 2011). Naughty Dog has announced a few bits and pieces to whet your appetite. Two maps, The Chateau and The Airstrip, show off two different styles. While The Chateau will have you ziplining through multiple levels, The Airstrip starts with a vehicle chase followed by a firefight at a hangar, complete with strafing planes. For modes, you’ll get the obvious Team Deathmatch, plus Three Team Deathmatch (2 vs 2 vs 2). There will also be the surely chaotic Free for All mode. For certain types you’ll also be able to play split screen with two different PSN IDs. For the less competitive folks, there will also be a co-op system, featuring the buddy system, where you spawn on your partner and share treasures. Customization has been increased as well. If you’re anxious to check this out I’d encourage you to get involved with the beta starting June 28th. To do that, you’ll need to buy inFamous 2, which you ought to play no matter what, or sign up for PlayStation Plus.

I was not aware that Army of Two was all that popular, but it looks like a third entry in the series will be coming. I guess all games have their niche. I love co-op campaigns, but the reviews were so bad on the first one in 2008 that I didn’t even try it. That means I also skipped The 40th Day, 2010’s sequel. However, for those of you who liked it, Visceral Games’ (Dead Space) Montreal studio have job listings for both senior producer and lead environment artist on the franchise. I wouldn’t expect it soon, but it sounds like a third game could be on the way.

Alice: Madness Returns is coming out in June. But that’s not news, we’ve known that for a while. It’s coming out on consoles too. That’s also not news. As more and more games are leaving the PC only realm and moving to console (or moving from console exclusive to multiplatform) developers and publishers are finding themselves with a new audience that needs to be caught up on the story so far. Now for the news part: In addition to announcing DLC dresses with special abilities for Alice, American McGee has announced how they plan to get console gamers up to speed. They’re giving you the first game for free. Included in the box will be a download code for a console port of the 2000 game. It’s safe to assume the code is one-time use, so only new buyers will get the free game. While it has not been confirmed, I expect renters and used buyers will still be able to purchase the port from their console’s store for $10-15.

For readers of Big Shiny Robot! I know there is one upcoming game that shines like a beacon above all others. That game even surpasses Halloween for reasons to look forward to October. Which is why, even though it’s a small thing, I refuse to skip the news that Tasia Valenza has announced she will be reprising her role as Poison Ivy in Batman: Arkham City. Like I said, it’s not much. But it does confirm the green-thumbed (and green-skinned) villainess will be returning in the sequel.

In honor of his 20th anniversary, SEGA has confirmed Sonic Generations is in development. Through the use of inexplicable “time holes,” players will be controlling multiple versions of Sonic from the last two decades. The arrogant 1991 Sonic will utilize his appropriate moveset in 2D worlds drawn from past games. The whiny, modern day counterpart will use his own homing attack and other current moves in 3D worlds. This could be entertaining if you’re a hardcore fan of the blue hedgehog, but I’m not sure it has a very large audience. I question how many nostalgic fans will care for the new mechanics, and whether the newer fans will be comfortable stepping back into Sonic’s spinning red tennis shoes of yesteryear.

Bethesda held their BFG Showcase in Utah recently but there didn’t seem to be anything really huge. I’m disappointed. Here’s a quick breakdown of the highlights on their top games, but don’t expect much:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Basically just more of the same. There was solid demo shown, about an hour long, highlighting spells, combat, NPC interaction, the usual. A few new screens have shown up as well, but nothing really groundbreaking. This game looks awesome if it’s your kind of game. If you aren’t already planning to play it then nothing they showed will change your mind.

Rage – The Anarchy Edition was announced as a preorder incentive. It includes hybrid armor, an exclusive vehicle, spiked gloves for melee combat, and a double barreled, one-handed shotgun. Some gameplay footage was shown. Some members of the press got a little hands on time. But, like Skyrim, there’s nothing about it to change your mind. Two multiplayer modes were announced though.
1. Combat Rally is objective based, mixed up with vehicular combat. It’s extremely customizable, has at least five maps, up to six players, and multiple game modes. It’s essentially checkpoint racing with a psychotic, combat twist.
2. Legends of the Wasteland is a two player co-op mode (online or split screen) that seems to play out like a spaghetti western. There are eight scenarios sending the players into areas from the single player campaign with specific objectives. Ultimately it leads to cleaning out the bad guys.

Prey 2 – They clarified that they’re using a “heavily modified” id Tech 4, not id Tech 5 (like Rage). There was a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo, but it ultimately comes down to the fact that they were already tweaking four before five was ready. The modifications make it much cooler and more ideally suited for the sequel’s open world style. They dropped a few generic screen shots as well, but these all look like they could just as easily come from Mass Effect 3. Sorry, this game just doesn’t look to have much personality.

Brink – A few new screens have been released but no new information. Customization is clearly a big deal. The screens are pretty.

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge – The dungeon creation tool, called Crucible, was shown off. This looks pretty in-depth and has tons of potential. If you love dungeon crawlers (or have ever been a Dungeon Master) this is going to be very exciting for you. You’ll be creating your own dungeons, then fighting through them in co-op mode, either split screen or online. Difficulty, length, available monsters, and more will all be adjustable.

Fallout: New Vegas – Despite expectations for additional DLC announcements, this game was completely ignored.

If you’re a fan of the classic Mortal Kombat series, you’ve been looking forward to tomorrow as much as I have. The new Mortal Kombat game drops, revisiting the glory days of the series. To celebrate, we’re one of a few sponsors putting on a Mortal Kombat tournament at the Hotel. Here’s the press release:

Big Shiny Robot, Play N Trade SLC and Roh Gaming present: Mortal Kombat at The Hotel Arcade April 19th.

Entry fee for the tournament is $15 and requires registration. Head over to Eventbrite to reserve your spot on the roster. Spread the word too. Spots are expected to fill up quick.

TOURNAMENT RULES:

REGISTRATION

All participants must register online in advance through mortalkombathotel.eventbrite.com/ before April 19th 7:00 p.m. Mountain time. The registration fee is $15. There will not be any onsite or late entries. There will be no refunds for tournament registration, and your registration is non-transferrable, so please be sure that you will be able to make it before you register.

So head on down to the Hotel tomorrow and show us your stuff!

I hope you’ve been saving for this week because the new Remington hunting game for Wii is out and I know you’re excited. Ha. Now onto the stuff you’ll actually be playing.

Multi-platform:
Portal 2 – PC, Mac, 360, PS3 (but PS3 is best deal by far)
Mortal Kombat – 360, PS3 (Kratos character is PS3 exclusive)

Sony Playstation 3:
SOCOM 4
Prince of Persia Trilogy HD

Nintendo Wii:
Remington Super Slam Hunting: Alaska
Conduit 2

Sony PSP:
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

This week really does have something for most gamers. Besides the big two, both of the PS3 exclusive games have a strong draw. And I, for one, won’t write off FFIV for PSP. Most of you have probably played this as FFII on Super Nintendo or on one of the re-releases for various platforms. It’s still one my favorites from the series and one of the reasons I got a Retro Duo. Now go hit up your local game store and say goodbye to your family. For the rest of the month you’ll only be leaving your console to check Big Shiny Robot!

Nintendo has uploaded a Japanese teaser site that allows us a glimpse into the awesomeness that will be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the 3DS! I have to give props to the designer of this page, because it creates the neat effect of “looking in” on a 3D image.

I can honestly say that despite having beaten Ocarina a couple of times, I am still interested in picking this up. For one, several sources have reported that it will come with the Master Quest feature (like the popular, limited release Game Cube version) plus “more content” that has not yet been revealed. What can I say, I can’t get enough of the Zelda games! (The original NES Zelda has been, and always will be, my favorite game of all time.)

Check out the Teaser site here.

Currently, in Japanese all it says is:

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Release Date: June 16th, 2011. Retail price: 4,800 Yen (about USD $58).  System: Nintendo 3DS. Genre: Action/Adventure. Players: One.

Come on Nintendo! Give us more of a preview soon!

After Capcom’s Captivate event earlier this week the gaming news desk has been pretty slow. I’ll give you what I’ve got, but it’s not exactly sexy stuff.

Well, some of it is pretty sexy, like this new screenshot from EA’s upcoming SSX. You may recall this game recently being announced as more of an action-oriented snowboarding sim with the generic subtitle of Deadly Descents. Apparently they’ve dropped the subtitle, which I prefer. This makes it much more clear it’s a reboot and not really tied to the original PS2 era games anymore. EA has also announced a release window, though not a date. The game is planned to hit shelves in January 2012.

The new Mortal Kombat is coming a lot sooner. Next week, in fact. A new mode for the game, King of the Hill, may have you curious. For a game that really only allows two players at a time, how do you have a King of the Hill match? I know how it worked in arcades, as I was always the loser that had to keep pumping quarters to stay in the game, but on consoles I didn’t think it made sense. Some new details have emerged explaining how those in line will stay entertained. Spectators will have their own avatars able to gesture at the action in positive or negative ways. I imagine this will be like watching a UFC fight. Sometimes the fight is awesome and everyone’s cheering. Sometimes a couple of heavyweights dance around one another, or even lightweights have match that’s very technical but not entertaining. That’s when fans start booing. Of course, this is Mortal Kombat, and NetherRealm isn’t going to leave you with just cheering or booing. If the fight really stinks, throw a skunk at the fighters. Tomatoes and cheese are also options. At the conclusion of the fight, spectators will rank the bout on a 1-10 scale. The votes will affect the player’s online reputation through respect points. It still sounds odd to me, but I’ll give it a try.

Let’s not forget there is yet another classic franchise getting the reboot/remake treatment, but this one’s a PS3 exclusive. David Jaffe’s return to Twisted Metal is definitely a good thing. It will be interesting to see how the game’s concept has aged when it releases this October. If you want to start your preordering now, the first promo has been announced. One of the classic characters, Axel, will be free when you preorder from participating retailers.

Also coming out next week is Portal 2. But you know that. If you’ve been following along here you also know that PS3 is the console for this game. Considering you get a free Steam copy for your PC or Mac when you buy it on PS3 you’re already ahead of the game. Valve has now announced some of the cross-platform features you can expect to see next week when the first Steam-enabled PS3 game launches. The first step will be to link your PSN account with your Steam account, which you can do from the game’s menu. You don’t have a Steam account? You can easily sign up in-game as well. Now that’s done, simply enter the code from your game box and you’ll find Portal 2 in your library on the PC or Mac. And, as if that isn’t good enough, you’ll be able to chat and play with your cross-platform friends. Your PS3 trophies and Steam achievements are also earned at the same time. Now, you may be wondering why you need a copy for console and PC. Despite the obvious benefits being able to play from your laptop while traveling or when your kids want the TV, you don’t need to have separate games going and repeat levels every time you switch devices. Using the Steam cloud, your save can transfer back and forth between PC and PS3 (which looks to mean cloud saves, for this game at least, are no longer the privileged territory of PS+ subscribers).

Can we go ahead and give the PS3 a little more love? How about an exclusive case for Rockstar’s upcoming L.A. Noire? Console-exclusive content at launch, even small stuff, seems to be Sony’s way of striking back at Microsoft’s exclusivity deals on DLC through Activision and other publishers. This game was originally a PS3 exclusive, so it may be a contractual obligation. Either way, the bonus content is a case entitled Consul’s Car, which the player can pick up from the in-game Traffic Desk.

Ultimately it’s a slow week for news, but a strong week for Sony. Check back next week for more news in shot form.