Are you just so excited for the PS4 that you just absolutely want to devour as much information as possible as soon as it arrives? If so, you should check out this nice video Sony put together to introduce the new DualShock 4 controller. If you want the story behind the new design, it’s intriguing, even if I had did have trouble with the buffering and audio sync.

On the neXtBox front, Microsoft has confirmed that the reveal will be happening at a May 21st press event. The event will reportedly ring in “the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment.” That quote confirms to me the reports that Microsoft is looking to expand ever further into being your complete entertainment source, not just your gaming console. But, will that mean their next-gen box will have all those extra media options, or does it confirm the rumors of a “mini-XBox” that will function like a Hulked out Roku box? We should know all of this in less than a month.

The latest rumors, and they are just rumors, is that Batman: Arkham Origins will have a multiplayer component. It’s not clear what that component may be, but the rumor mill suggests you’ll be playing as a member of Joker’s or Bane’s gangs and trying to take down Batman and Robin. Which, frankly, would be the only reasonable form of multiplayer for a game like this. A Batman and Robin co-op mode could be interesting, but it would be an odd fit for the pacing of the previous two titles. I kind of like the concept of one player as Batman (and Robin, possibly) versus an army of player-controlled Joker goons, but the balancing for something like that would just be obscene. Hopefully we’ll get confirmation from Warner Bros. Montreal about available modes soon. The game is scheduled for October 25, 2013.

2K Marin has confirmed today that their XCOM shooter has been slightly rebranded, but it’s still part of the same shared universe. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (as it is now called) is scheduled for August 20, 2013. The third-person shooter will be a prequel of sorts, taking place in 1962 and portraying the establishment of the XCOM organization. Tactical decisions and permanent squad member death will also be rearing their brutal heads once again.

The delayed, formerly-WiiU-exclusive Rayman Legends from Ubisoft has finally been given a firm release date. The game will now be releasing August 27, 2013 for WiiU, PS3, and XBox 360. A Vita version has also been rumored, but remains unconfirmed, for that date or any other.

A translated tweet from the official Okami feed indicates there will be some major announcement next week. The rumor mill doesn’t even have a consensus on it will be. Here’s the translated text [note: Golden Week is a collection of Japanese holidays, April 29-May 5]:

Hello, this is Okami news. Sorry I’ve been kind of out of touch lately, but I have the feeling we’ll be able to drop a fresh announcement like WHAM! around the beginning of Golden Week, so please look forward to it. Right now we’re on track with preparations.

The release date for Battlefield 4 has been rumored as October 31, 2013 for a while but is still officially unconfirmed. The latest promotional poster at EB Games may have made the confirmation unnecessary. It also reveals some of the features we can expect to see:

Rockstar apparently has plans for three new Grand Theft Auto V trailers next week. Unless their promo is deliberately misleading, each trailer will focus on one of the three main protagonists. If you’re excited for this one, watch for the trailers next Tuesday, April 30th.

If you’re the type that likes to be a little late to the party on major titles to insure you get all of the DLC, you’ll be glad to know your Legendary Edition of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is on its way. As expected, this version will include the main campaign, all current updates, and all previously released DLC. It will retail at launch for $60 and is set for release June 4, 2013.

A pair of newly released images for Activision’s upcoming Deadpool game reveal two new characters we’ll see in the game. One of them might even get our own Scarlett Robotica interested in playing, as she has a bizarre fascination with Mister Sinister. The other reveal is Psylocke, the hot European chick that somehow became a hot Asian chick in what passed for 1990’s X-Men storytelling. Things are shaping up nicely for this June 25th release.

Pathfinder Online is looking to take the MMORPG world by short sword in just a few years. One of the promised features is an open-world “sandbox” style of game-play, which means you pretty much get to do what you want to do, and it will impact the overall world that other players experience. Rich Baker illuminates us further on the Goblinworks Developer’s Blog:

“Pathfinder Online is a sandbox, not a theme park. What that means is that our game isn’t going to present a tightly scripted set of storylines or a large number of iconic locations or dungeons to explore. Instead, we’re designing a game that generates opportunities for you to engage in activities or tell stories that interest you, based on the narrative you decide you want to tell with your character. That doesn’t mean that we won’t have PvE content—it just means that our world isn’t going to have the sort of career-long quest chains or custom-built raiding dungeons that you might be familiar with from other MMOs. Instead, our primary vehicle for PvE content comes from events, not locations. We call these content-generating events escalation cycles.

An escalation is a dynamic story event such as a Bonedancer goblin invasion, an outbreak of widespread banditry from the League of the Wood, or a raid of dark elf slavers. Each escalation begins in the deep wilderness in one of the hexes player settlements can’t quite tame, and slowly builds up strength. At first you see some goblin scouts and wolf-riders, then bands of goblin marauders venture out to trouble travelers and harvesters in nearby hexes, and then vicious war-parties begin an all-out effort to pillage “civilized” hexes and wreck any structures PCs have built there. Dealing with the rampaging goblin hordes provokes various forms of retaliation and generates quests; PCs may find that as the story of the Bonedancer goblin invasion unfolds they’ll be called upon to rescue captives taken by the goblins, interfere with the dark rites of goblin shamans, or challenge important goblin chiefs. Left unchecked, an escalation soon spreads into neighboring hexes, and may continue to infect new areas until someone deals with the problem. At any given time, there will be a number of different escalations running in various parts of the Crusader Road area, each threatening a different corner of the game world”.

For more information about how Escalation Mechanics will work, head over to the Dev Blog and read up on everything that is coming our way. Pathfinder Online is on track to realease in early 2016!

Members of the press received an invite to Microsoft’s Xbox conference scheduled for May 21, 2013. Will it look like one of the ideas above? Will it build you an island and fly you to it? Will it allow used games?! The large number of questions surrounding next gen still haven’t been answered by even Sony who was first out the gate. If all goes well will this always-online, used game hating, power machine fulfill our dreams?! Or will the controller look like a bat?!?!?! May 21st will answer all of our questions and fulfill our dreams.

First, in case you missed it, Nordic Games will be picking up the remaining scraps of THQ pending an approval by the bankruptcy court. Upon approval, this will mean a large IP acquisition for Nordic, as well as hope for fans of many series that could have died on the vine. Some of the franchises that will go to Nordic include Red Faction, Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, Titan Quest, Supreme Commander, Frontlines, Stuntman, Juiced, Full Spectrum Warrior, Destroy All Humans, and more.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has recently rated a PS Vita version of The Sly Collection, meaning the original three games from the PS2 era are likely headed to Sony’ handheld. An HD collection was released for PS3 in 2010 and the conversion was fantastic. The fourth title, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3 and Vita with cross-buy), was released in February to largely positive reviews.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger has received an official date and price. You’ll be able to step into the shoes of bounty hunter Silas Greaves on PSN and XBLA May 22nd. So, only a month until you get to shoot outlaws and chickens both. The announced price is 1200MSP/$14.99.

The Australian Classification Board may have outed a new Bethesda title before the publisher was prepared. According to the ratings board, Endless Summer will be rated MA15+ for “strong horror themes and violence,” “very mild impact” nudity and “mild impact” language and sex. So, are we looking at Shinji Mikami’s The Evil Within being renamed in Australia? Or is this a totally new game, part of what Pete Hines promises as Bethesda “making considerably more noise this year than [they] did last year, as a publisher?” Time, and an official announcement from Bethesda, will tell.

Thomasz Gop, the producer from The Witcher 2, has revealed a few more details about his next-gen RPG, Lords of the Fallen. According to Gop, an area with ten enemies should take about an hour to clear, an idea which is directly attributed to the difficulty of Dark Souls. The action skill tree and classes, however, are more reminiscent of Borderlands. So a Borderlands – Dark Souls mash-up, in a setting where a god’s corpse separates the world into two halves, both populated by tribes with different in beliefs? I’m definitely intrigued.

As a side note, Gop also made mention of the next-gen XBox that Microsoft has yet to reveal. Gop says he “can’t talk too much about the next-gen Xbox, but [he doesn’t] think a lot of people [are] going to be surprised. [He doesn’t] think it’s going to be huge news what’s inside, no – seriously.” Kind of a strange statement. Am I not going to be surprised because all of the leaks are true? Or is it just obvious that the tech will be similar to what Sony has already shown?

Yet another Metal Gear bundle has been announced by Konami. Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection will be a PS3 exclusive. It’s a pretty extensive bundle, including: Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: HD Edition, Metal Gear Solid 3: HD Edition (including the MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2), Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Edition, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, Metal Gear Solid 4: Trophy Edition, and two Ashley Wood graphic novels. While eight games and a pair of graphic novels all in one place does seem like a great deal, I have to question whether there’s an audience for this one. Don’t fans of the series already have several editions of each of these games? If you haven’t played the series yet, isn’t this a little intimidating? At a cheap enough price point this may get some buyers. But, have you ever actually played through an entire series in a big chunk like this? It gets pretty tiresome. I’ve even had trouble keeping my attention from wandering when playing through an HD-ified PS2 trilogy.

Preorders are now available for Saints’ Row IV. Deep Silver and Volition have announced a free upgrade for getting that order in as well. The Commander in Chief edition is full of sarcastic American pride. That version will come with the ‘Merica weapon, Uncle Sam costume, and Screaming Eagle jet. The game is set for release August 20, 2013.

Keep this in the rumor category for now, but a few small, online retailers have listed Gran Turismo 6 for PS3 as going on sale November 28, 2013. Rumors are that the game is coming for this generation, not PS4, so the date seems reasonable. It’s also worth noting that one retailer could have simply screwed up the date and others are now jumping on that erroneous bandwagon. Wait for an official announcement from Sony to celebrate, but it’s probably safe to get your hopes up a little.

The biggest news recently in games crossing over to movies comes with the announcement that a Ratchet & Clank movie is on the way. Blockade Entertainment and Rainmaker Entertainment are currently working on the film version of the titular heroes’ adventure. T.J. Fixman of Insomniac Games, who has written all of the duo’s recent titles, is writing the films’ script. Insomniac is also involved in production, screenplay, character development, and animation consulting. No, it isn’t live action (it’s CG). James Arnold Taylor, who has voiced Ratchet since the PS2 era, will be reprising his role. The film is set for release sometime in 2015.

Lara Croft looks to finally be getting some practical clothing. Three upcoming DLC outfits for the Tomb Raider reboot have “leaked” that feature Lara in long pants and jackets (or a vest). The three outfits are called Modern Archer, Mountaineer, and Engineer (pictured). No word yet on when they’ll release or how much they’ll cost, but it’s good news for people who like to change their characters’ clothes like a digital Barbie doll.

Climax Studios (Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Smart As…) have revealed they are currently working on two new games. Other than a few screen shots, very little has been revealed about the games. The first is a “character action platformer” that has a very Prince of Persia look to it. The second is horror title with some creepy dolls. Titles, platforms, release dates, etc. are all still in the dark. However, Climax’s website does indicate they are developing for PS4, WiiU, and “other new consoles” (which is the next XBox).

The first of the DLC characters (which you knew would be coming) for Injustice: Gods Among Us has been revealed. Price and date for Lobo are still a mystery, but it’s a safe bet he’ll be included in the season pass for $12.

A few preorder bonuses have been revealed for Activision and High Moon’s Deadpool game coming June 25, 2013. Ordering from GameStop will score you two extra challenge maps, two extra character skins, and “the most epic digital wallpaper ever.” You could also order from Amazon for a $5 credit towards graphic novels, exclusive digital cover sleeve, and digital wallpaper.

After Tuesday’s report that Bethesda is moving on from Skyrim they began to release teaser videos on Vine that didn’t seem to make any sense. We knew it wasn’t Fallout 4 based on a tweet from Pete Hines (boo, gimme Fallout) but what could it be? It was revealed today that this is Shinji Mikami’s Project Zwei, now being called The Evil Within. Mikami says, “We’re incredibly proud to announce The Evil Within. My team and I are committed to creating an exciting new franchise, providing fans the perfect blend of horror and action.” The game is set for release on PS3, 360, PC, and “next generation consoles.” No release date yet, but the platforms make it safe bet for late 2013 or early 2014.

That’s all for this week. If you’re in Salt Lake City, don’t miss Big Shiny Robot’s Street Fighter 4 tournament at SLC Nerd on Saturday. It’s $10 for the event, but the tournament is free.

During todays Nintendo Direct focused on the 3DS Iwata announced quite a large sundry of information for Nintendo fans.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Sequel

Nintendo is developing a new game that takes place in the world of Link to the Past that serves as a sequel. In full 3D of course! There is a 3D video downloadable in the Nintendo eShop now! I suggest you snag it. Look for the game this holiday.

Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

May 30 on the eShop you can purchase both titles and utilize their connected functionality. There is not a whole lot to say, but this is win!

Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros

Announced in February we were given a more direct look at the title, which has you manipulating the environment in Luigi’s dream while solving puzzles with “Bro moves” on the top screen. Luigi takes something of a starring role which aligns with Nintendo’s “Year of Luigi”. Released dates for the game were also announced. North America will get the game August 11 while Europe gets it a full month before on July 12.

Yoshi’s Island 3DS

A quick overview of this after the successful SNES title and release for DS its finally time for a 3D version with more information coming this year! Gameplay looks very similar to its predecessor and even uses a similar aesthetic, though its been updated to Nintendo’s more modern 3D look. More details will be announced in the near Future Nintendo says.

Pikmin 3 on Wii U August 4

Pikmin 3 will be available for the Wii U on August 4 in North America. You can pick it up at retail or download it from the eShop. A new flying Pikmin that can help carry items and be helpful in ways that other Pikmin aren’t.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

A simultaneous release that holds a few bonuses for 3DS owners. New mode which is tailored to shorter play times and easier use when out and about. More items, more life and easier level navigation. If you’re a die hard like me, you can play normal mode at all times and not even worry about “wuss mode”. The game will also support system to system multiplayer within the same room. I says hell yes!

Mario Party for 3DS

Not much is currently known, but a new Mario Party is headed to the 3DS. Look for it this winter.

Mario Golf World Tour

This addition to the Mario Golf franchise will allow you to not only play through the game level by level and character by character. It also includes online multiplayer globally where you can organize tournaments, or square off in custom games. I’m in!

Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

Freshly announced, this game is coming directly to the 3DS eShop May 9. Iwata can tell you a bit more about it:

“In this game, your objective is to place different types of tiles on the flat map shown on the bottom screen to guide the mini characters to the goal,” Iwata said. “The upper screen displays the various paths and obstacles in 3D as the minis make their way through the level.”

Wii U Virtual Console

The Virtual Console is also coming to the Wii U in the coming week. Among the games coming with it are:  Excitebike, Super Mario World, Mario Bros. Punch-Out, Super Metroid, Balloon Fight, and F-Zero, with Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 games planned for later dates. To much fan praise, Nintendo is finally putting Earthbound out  via the Virtual Console this year. Its been a long time coming for this game, at least for North America.

New DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U title Super Luigi U was also announced and is coming this summer. Nintendo has posted today’s Nintendo Direct in its entirety and is available now for viewing.

Slow news this week, but still a little something.

Bethesda has made it official, “Dragonborn” is the last DLC The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Having worked on the title since 2006, through the retail release and three large add-ons, they’re ready to move their focus to the future. A post on the Bethesda blog clarifies: “Even though we’re moving on, we’ll still have minor updates to Skyrim as needed. We’ve invested so much of ourselves into Skyrim and will never truly say goodbye to it.” While they are moving to their “next adventure,” they haven’t confirmed what that adventure might be. The general rumor mill has it being Fallout 4 on next-gen consoles, but that is unconfirmed. For now.

As you may have heard back in February, the developer behind PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, SuperBot Entertainment, has split ways with Sony. Far from this being the end of their story, they are still alive and working a new project despite a significant reduction in staff. According to David Yang, Director of Operations, “[They] have substantially shrunk down [their] operations but are still going strong while [they] work on a new IP.” No word yet on the new IP, but their success with All-Stars should give them some solid credibility moving forward.

The rumors are true, if a little bit incorrect. We’ve been hearing about a possible HD remake (or upgrade) to SEGA’s Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse for months. It’s now been officially revealed, not as a remake remaster, but as an “HD reimagining.” They are working to “maintain the spirit” of the 1990 original, while incorporating elements that were always intended but couldn’t be included due to hardware limitations. It’s also coming sooner than you expect, being scheduled for Summer 2013 on XBLA and PSN.

It’s a slow news week so I’ll include a little bit about a sale that I would normally ignore. Most of you that love Grand Theft Auto probably have everything you need in the franchise, but PSN’s got you covered just in case. Everything in the store in the whole franchise is discounted this week, even more so for PlayStation Plus members. Everything from GTA III for $4.89 to the GTA IV Ultimate Edition (with both major DLC add-ons) for $14.69. All of the PSP titles, with support for Vita, are available at easy discounts as well. This is a great chance to fill any gaps in your collection.

I hesitate to mention this because it seems inappropriate for a geek news site, but I can’t really help myself. I’ve been writing this column for a long time now, and a casual reader would think gaming is my only hobby. That’s not true. I also enjoy many outdoor activities liking hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. But I truly love running. Which is why I feel obligated to call out yesterday’s tragic events. Running, like video games, sports, comics, or whatever your pleasure, is a hobby. This is our escape and our joy. How dare anyone attack you at your hobby? Long time readers of this column have seen my contempt for the anti-gaming lobby. That is nothing compared to the disgust I feel towards whoever is responsible for the bombings at the Boston marathon. My thoughts are with the runners and bystanders who were injured or killed, as well the as their families. I encourage everyone in America, or around the world, to go for a run today. Do a mile, or ten. But show your support for a healthy hobby.

Sorry to bring everyone down.

Littlebigplanet creators Media Molecule have, at long last, announced the release date for their Vita-exclusive Tearaway. Unfortunately, it will be coming October 22, 2013, a time already crowded by such titles as Batman: Arkham Origins (and Blackgate for Vita), and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It’s entirely possible that a title without as much mainstream “credibility” may get lost in the shuffle of the large franchises.

Speaking of Batman: Arkham Origins, more details from Game Informer’s cover story are surfacing. Here we go in easy to follow bullet points:

• A prequel following Batman Year One and Legend of the Dark Knight. Takes place on Christmas Eve early in Batman’s career.
• Gotham is covered in snow and Christmas lights.
• Amusement Mile hasn’t been flooded yet, nor Old Gotham turned into a prison.
• With Old and New Gotham included, the world is twice as big as Arkham City. Fast travel needs are satisfied by the Batwing. [I, for one, was disappointed by the extensive travel time in the last game so this welcome.]
• Black Mask has placed a bounty on Batman’s head. Deathstroke and Penguin are confirmed.
• Gotham City PD is not convinced Batman is on their side. He’s younger, slightly clumsier, and hasn’t defined his own lines yet.
• Emphasis will be placed on his detective work. WB Montreal cites the BBC’s Sherlock as inspiration.
• Combat remains essentially the same with a few tweaks (of course).
• New gadget: The remote claw, allowing two objects to be tethered together. Example: Tie an explosive barrel to a gargoyle so it’s suspended, then cut the rope with a batarang to drop it on someone.
• Dynamic “Crime in Progress” events will occur randomly while traversing the open world.
• Challenge mode will return

Excited yet?

Pete Hines, vice president at Bethesda, made a very bold statement to OXM. Despite the releases of Elder Scrolls Online and the critical success of Dishonored with its DLC, he says they’ll be making “considerably more noise this year.” Hines declined specifics, but he did elaborate by saying “I think we’re continuing to do the stuff that we get excited about, and people will get really excited about when they hear what we’re up to, which is continuing to push the boundaries, reinvent – find really smart, passionate teams who know what they’re doing and have an idea that they really want to do and do well.” With an expected end of the current console generation later this year, and no major titles announced for publication within that time, the insinuation is obvious. If this means what I think it means, Fallout 4 on PS4, you can count on my complete disappearance from the world for several weeks after its release.

A recent announcement has revealed some store-exclusive pre-order bonuses for Lost Planet 3. Amazon’s Punisher Pack will include the Incinerator Particle Thrower, NEVEC Punisher Pulse Rifle, Spit Fire Grenade Launcher, and two upgrades, a pressurized claw and tungsten carbide drill. Best Buy’s Assault Pack includes the Assault Shotgun, Customized Pneumatic Injector Gun, “Destructeur” Assault Rifle, and the two rig upgrades. GameStop’s bonus, the Freedom Fighter Pack, has the rig upgrades and five multiplayer characters (including Resident Evil‘s Hunk). The game releases at all retail locations August 27, 2013.

The delay of Rayman Legends on Wii U has certainly been a blow for fans of that console, but it looks like it will lead to more content when it eventually releases concurrently on all of the current systems in September. According to Michael Micholic, Senior Game Manager, “Trust me, the things we are adding aren’t minor. We’re not talking about adding some polish here and there, but 30 new levels and several new bosses.” This may not be the soothing balm that sore Wii U players wanted, but it is, at least, a silver lining to the dark cloud of delay.

That’s all for this week. Check back Tuesday for all the new from the weekend.

The other day Microsoft Studios’ Creative Director, Adam Orth, had what appeared to be a heated argument with a BioWare Senior Designer, Manveer Heir, over Twitter. The “always-on” debate in the gaming world, as it turns out, gets people pretty hot under the collar. A NeoGAF thread posted a batch of screenshots of the Twitter debate, and legions of gamers went damn near rabid. Here’s just a few of them:

Like probably all of you, I don’t know Adam Orth personally, and I don’t follow him on Twitter. Based only on these screenshots of Orth’s tweets, he appears to be just the worst kind of elitist jackass. (Let’s put an emphasis on the word “appears” before we move on.) Orth appears to represent those much-maligned suits of the gaming world who totally fumbled the recent SimCity launch, as just one example, those bigwig decision-makers who seem to be more concerned with their pirates than with their customers.

Worst of all, Orth appears to represent the people atop the ivory tower of gaming big-business who are so disconnected from the rest of life that their response to “always-on” complaints amounts to: deal with it, you country rubes. Also: if you don’t live in a big city, that’s your choice and you should quit being such a country rube.

On one hand, I can’t blame people for going all flame-brigade on Orth, he does a remarkably effective job of being completely infuriating. I’m sure the whole “elitist cityfolk” angle didn’t win him any admirers.

But as with many such cases of internet-outrage, the reality is far less interesting than the uproar.

Granted, Orth and Microsoft have really dropped the ball on parrying this PR disaster. Orth’s twitter feed went on lock-down–it had probably become a communal flamepit, so you can’t blame him for that–then Microsoft lobbed a press release that basically said: “He doesn’t speak for Microsoft.” They failed to mention the part where he claims he was totally joking, and messing with Heir. But the thing is, if the internet folks who got so angry would have looked into it before calling in the Wolverines, they would have found this also-tweeted explanation from Orth (as retweeted by Manveer Heir):

“Orthy: Just the normal daily back and forth I have with Manveer. Apologies for offending non-cities. I was trolling him personally.
Heir: oh in fairness, he had me going at first, and then I was like WAIT A MINUTE HE’S TROLLING MY ASS. MOTHERFUCKER”

As well as these responses from Heir:

“Heir: A dear friend of mine @adam_orth is getting a lot of flak, some unfairly. Let me say he’s one of the good guys and cut him some slack please”

“Heir: So @adam_orth got NeoGAFed. You should know we are good friends who joke around with one another. Don’t read too much into our back & forth.

All those tweets you are seeing about the city being superior. That’s him just trolling me. And I fell for it. Don’t bust his balls on that.

If anyone wants to post my last two tweets up on NeoGAF up [sic] for context for the GAFers it would be appreciated. Just want to provide context.”

Now, it is hard to tell where the absolute truth of this story lies, but it seems to be somewhere between total candor and total trolling. Which really narrows it down. The fact we can be sure of, is that Adam Orth didn’t deserve quite the deluge of hatred he got. Maybe a slew of irked tweets, sure, but the masses acted like he defecated on every one of their childhood teddy bears and blankies and puppies and kitties, all at once.

So an entire community of internet folks with related interests incited themselves into a big ol’ angry mob over something which it turns out was either nothing, or way ginned up?

No, way.

While the actual story here seems to be a non-event. It was revealed recently that Adam Orth was let go from Microsoft Studios. This should serve as a warning to anyone with a name and a voice in the gaming development world, the gaming community is a fickle mistress. I’m sure Adam Orth didn’t deserve to get canned over his comments–and I can say, with all sincerity, that he has my sympathies–but at very least we can try to learn something from this, let’s call it a “kerfuffle.” Pretty sure that is the right word.

Lesson the first, watch your mouth.
If you have a title like “Creative Director at Microsoft Studios”–and especially so if that title displays prominently beneath your Twitter avatar–you should realize that your words carry weight, and maybe you should think twice before you get your trollolols in such a public forum. Easy to say in hindsight, of course, but worth remembering.

Second, that “Always-on” thing.
People take this always-on debate really, really seriously (and intrusive DRM more generally). Yes, there is almost certainly an over-sensitivity on this point, but instead of dismissing it as merely that, I think it’s worth examining the reason behind it. The disconnect, as far as I can tell, is this:

On one side, people say, “What’s the big deal? If you’re not pirating a game, it shouldn’t affect you.” That’s a fair point until restrictive DRM prevents honest consumers from enjoying the games they just shelled out their hard-earned money for. And honestly, it is ridiculous to think I might come home with a game (or finish downloading one, as is more likely these days) and not even be able to play the single-player mode because the DRM malfunctioned or my Comcast internet crapped out on me. For the consumers, this is the only side that gets attention, which is not not entirely unfair. If DRM works the way it should, it should be invisible.

It’s also that gamers possess a type of brand loyalty which is particular to the gaming world. When it feels like these companies, to whom gamers have given so much time and money, turn around and act like they don’t give the slightest of shits about their customer base, I think these gamers feel personally betrayed.

These are legitimate feelings.

Third: despite the above-stated, gamers really need to lighten up.
I only need one piece of evidence for my argument: EA has been voted the “Worst Company in America” for the second year in a row. Okay, granted, gamers almost certainly voted in numbers that completely skewed the results considering the fact that geek community sites regularly have “Let’s throw the results of this poll” parties. But that only further serves my point.

(Warning: gross oversimplification incoming.) We are currently clawing our way out of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, caused almost single-handedly by the unethical and risky practices of banks afterward deemed “too big to fail.” Companies who took government money to save themselves, then turned around and continued to do the exact same thing that got us into this mess in the first place. None of these people are in jail.

This is a country where the very people in charge of regulating out-of-control organizations walk out of their government office and stroll directly into the company they were supposedly regulating for the past however-many years (or vice versa). We live in a country where Monsanto and the FDA are god damned pen pals. Where countless companies outsource production jobs to what are essentially slave-labor factories. This is merely scratching the surface and I don’t have the patience or heart to look up all of the other stuff you should actually be pissed off about.

And y’all nerds go and vote EA the worst company in America because they botched the SimCity launch?

Get, the fuck, over it.

They make video games. Video games you dislike. Maybe they treat their employees like crap, too, but do you think they can hold a candle to any number of other companies in that respect?

Our hobby/passion of choice is still excellent, and awesome, and the most exciting narrative and experiential medium currently evolving, but they’re still video games.

Welcome back from the weekend. I hope yours was just as enjoyable but less painful than mine. Let’s get right to the news:

The full character line up for Injustice: Gods Among Us has finally been revealed. It looks like the only two that are newly announced are Killer Frost and Ares as everyone else has been revealed somewhere along the media machine’s trail for this title. The game releases April 16, 2013 and your full 24 character roster (though I expect some DLC) is:

• Aquaman
• Ares
• Bane
• Batman
• Black Adam
• Catwoman
• Cyborg
• Deathstroke
• Doomsday
• The Flash
• Green Arrow
• Green Lantern
• Harley Quinn
• Hawkgirl
• The Joker
• Killer Frost
• Lex Luthor
• Nightwing
• Raven
• Shazam
• Sinestro
• Solomon Grundy
• Superman
• Wonder Woman

Suda 51 is teasing Grasshopper Manufacture’s next game (after this summer’s Killer is Dead). So far he’s just saying it is an action game that will be “unique.” Not that we expected something “normal” from the creator of Killer Seven and Lollipop Chainsaw. Speaking to Edge magazine, Suda said

“This is going to be an action game obviously but the gameplay style is going to differ very much – it’ll be unique. This is a title that GungHo Japan and Grasshopper Manufacture [are] working on together collaboratively so there will be an online feature, because that’s their forte and what they specialize in.

“On the simplest level it will be social, but the word social is used and misinterpreted a lot these days. GungHo has over ten years of experience in providing online gaming services so that is their strength. This is a very new style of online feature, so there’s no example from the past.”

Insomniac Games has decided to skip a growing trend when they release Fuse late next month. Online playable shooters have increasingly added microtransactions to further monetize their games. Another tool with growing popularity is the season pass, which lets you preorder the game’s planned DLC for a slight discount. Insomniac has said that they’re passing on both of these. In a Q&A on the game’s official site, one questions asked “Season Pass?” The response was simple and clear: “Nope. But, you should still buy it new to support us because there are no microtransactions to make up for it, though.” The lack of these two tricks is intriguing, but even more so when you consider it’s being published by EA, one of the biggest proponents of these nickel and dime tactics, notoriously adding microtransactions to single player campaign in Dead Space 3.

The latest next-gen console rumors have Microsoft pushing back their announcement for the neXtBox (it’s still currently called Durango and expected to be retailed as simply XBox, but I think my name is catchier – though harder to type). It was expected that the new console would be announced on April 21st, but it’s now looking like May 24th. That would put it much closer to E3, which is speculated to have been the original plan. Keep in mind, this is all rumor for now, but here’s what we should supposedly expect:

• $500 MSRP, with $300 subscription version possible
• always-online rumors do seem correct, but may not be as intrusive as expected
• November release is likely
• a $99 “Stingray” 360 may be launching around the same time
• Stingray may mean Netflix, Hulu, backwards-compatibility, etc. may be out for Durango

But before you’ll be picking up your next XBox, there are still some games coming for your current 360. Like Grand Theft Auto V, which will also come with a bonus. If you preorder your copy from the Microsoft Store they’ll give 1600 MSP (a $20 value). The offer is limited to three per customer and is available in the US only. Your free points will be emailed to you within 10 days of the game shipping (September 17, 2013). The points will expire if unspent on December 31, 2013.

The long-rumored Batman: Arkham Origins has finally been officially announced – and is gracing the next cover of Game Informer. Oddly, it’s not actually developed by Rocksteady, the team that has made the series such a phenomenon. Instead, Warner Montreal is developing the title, which is expected to release this October for current-gen systems. The game will take place prior to Arkham Asylum, when the Batman was younger. The Game Informer cover reveals that Deathstroke will be featured as well. Also planned is Arkham Origins Blackgate for Vita, “a 2.5D exploration action game” this is “a completely separate experience that takes place after the events of Arkham Origins” for release on the same date.

Capcom has announced a two month delay for Lost Planet 3. Originally planned for June, it’s now coming in August for “business reasons.” Which is as vague as excuses come, but how much detail they want to reveal is their prerogative.

That’s all for this week’s early edition. Check back on Friday for more highlights from this week in gaming news.