My apologies, it’s a bit of a slow news week. At least we have a few stories worth mentioning.

I tried to be one of those guys that didn’t pay The Walking Dead until the entire season was released on a disc. Then Sony went and gave me the first two episodes for free with PlayStation Plus. After that I bought the third straightaway and I’m now twitching in anticipation of the fourth. If you’ve held better than I did, your patience will be rewarded this Christmas. That is, if someone loves you enough to buy you the full season for PS3 or 360 on December 4th. Price is not announced but I’d be shocked if it’s higher than the piecemeal price of $25. I’m guessing it will actually be the season pass price of $20. More importantly, this also tells us that the final two episodes will surely be released well before the disc version. Also, calling it season one provides a hint that we could well see another season. Here’s hoping.

In a similar fashion, but far less exciting, THQ and Volition will be releasing a “Full Package” version of Saints’Row: The Third. The title here says it all, as the combo pack will include all three of the main DLC packs (Genkibowl VII, Gangstas in Space, and The Trouble With Clones), plus 30 more smaller releases. They literally mean ALL of the DLC. The game itself is about as over the top and looney as they come, but it’s rare to see one with such extensive DLC coverage. I’d assume that the release of the “Full Package” signals the end of that DLC support. Get your package on November 6th.

Does anyone care about a return of Ecco the Dolphin? I mean, it was fun back in the day, and I didn’t hate replaying it on the Ultimate Genesis Collection disc. But does it really need a revival? The series creator, Ed Annunziata, seems to think so. According to Twitter, he’s “putting the band back together,” starting with original composer Spencer Nielsen. So far, that’s all he seems to have. Well, that and some whiteboard designing levels. Ooh look, a dolphin and some water, this looks like something worth a few million dollars in development money. More on this if and when it becomes a credible story.

The first expansion for Darksiders II is coming today. For those who bought the game new, you’ll be getting the “Argul’s Tomb” add-on for free. Everyone else, prepare to fork out $6.99 (560MSP). The expansion includes two new dungeons, new legendary loot, and new boss battles. The “Death Rides” pack, formerly a pre-order incentive, is also becoming available to everyone at the same price. The WiiU version, coming at the console’s launch, will include both of these packs as well as all other pre-order packs.

Sony is pushing a new program, PSN Day 1 Digital, to release more top tier games via PSN on their retail release date. With the Fall and holiday glut of games nearly upon us, now’s the perfect oppportunity for them to push this feature. I haven’t confirmed that they’ll all be available at midnight, but that has usually been the case so far. Several have a 10% discount for PS+ members if you preorder now. The perfect scenario for this would be to preorder the games with your PS+ discount, and have your nightly update just start the download and install automatically. No need to stay up late, and your game is waiting for you after breakfast. Here’s the list of the first eight games in the new program:

• Resident Evil 6 (10/2/12, $59.99)
• NBA 2K13 (10/2/12, $59.99, PS+ 10%)
• Dishonored (10/9/12, $59.99, PS+ 10%)
• Doom 3: BFG Edition (10/16/12, $39.99, PS+ 10%)
• 007: Legends (10/16/12, $59.99)
• Medal of Honor: Warfighter (10/23/12, $59.99)
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted (10/30/12, $59.99, PS+ 10%)
• Assassin’s Creed III (10/30/12, $59.99)



As I mentioned, a bit of a slow week. That might continue for some time, but you won’t care for much longer because the games will be coming. Let’s finish today with a spoilerific rumor about Shepard’s next chapter.

SPOILER WARNING
Several fans are claiming to have cracked the code on the upcoming “Omega” DLC for Mass Effect 3. This should be filed under rumor, but these are the same folks who were previously right about “Leviathan.” In the script, Aria T’Loak convinces Commander Shepard to board the command ship leading a blockade to prevent supplies from reaching Omega Station. Before Anakin Skywalker can destroy the ship… Oh wait, wrong space saga. In retaliation, Cerberus assaults Omega’s shield, without which the station will be subject to destruction by meteors and other space-faring dangers. It will be Shepard’s task to stop the assault before the barriers fall. Of course, when this all takes place is up for debate, as a release date has not been announced. We are, however, expecting to see it “soon.”
/SPOILER WARNING

Longtime VGQH readers know that I occasionally include stories about well-known gaming personalities when they move about in the industry. I get the stories all the time, but it’s rare that I think one really qualifies as newsworthy. We have one this week that definitely needs to be known. Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka of Bioware have retired. The two founded the company together back in 1995. Both plan for this to be a permanent exit from the gaming world. The retirement plans have been in place internally for at least six months and the studio feels they are still strong and very capable of progressing without the two founders. Muzyka and Zeschuk’s parting words, as well as comments from Aaryn Flynn (General Manager in Edmonton and Montreal), are available at the Bioware Blog. Best of luck to Greg and Ray, may your retirement (or next line of work) be just as successful.

The next projects slated from Bioware are Dragon Age III: Inquisition and the “Omega” DLC for Mass Effect 3. Part of Aaryn Flynn’s comments brought a little more attention to that upcoming DLC chapter and the further future of the franchise.

“Executive Producer Casey Hudson and his team are coming off an amazing eight-year run with the Mass Effect trilogy. But they’re not done yet. We are releasing more multiplayer content and we have more single-player stories coming throughout the next six months, including Omega which is coming in the Fall. But the Mass Effect universe is vast, and Casey and our teams have plans for another full game. “Where to go next?” with such a project has been a question a lot of us have been asking, and we’d all love to hear your ideas.”

He went on to mention that Hudson’s team is “putting together their vision for an all new game set in a fictional universe, built from the bottom-up with all new gaming technology.” That’s pretty vague, but it also sounds like the minds behind Mass Effect are building a new IP for next-gen systems.

When it comes to the Venn diagram of comics geeks and game geeks, no upcoming game sits right in the middle of that overlapping circle quite like Injustice: Gods Among Us. Which is why the release date being announced at TGS is so great. I was half expecting this to be Summer title, but Warner Bros. Interactive has earlier plans. You’ll be getting your own shot at Superman vs. Batman as early as April 2013. Zombietron’s got some screen shots and the TGS trailer here.

Speaking of Warner Bros. Interactive, they’re getting set to release Midway Arcade Origins for PS3 and XBox 360. The single disc will retail for $29.99 (about $10 too much methinks) and include “more than 30 classic, genre-defining Midway titles from the golden age of arcades.” Of the 30+ titles, only Gauntlet, Rampage, Joust, Spy Hunter, Defender, and Marble Madness have been confirmed. No date was announced, but full trophy/achievement support will be included along with four player, local co-op. I’d like to see the full list of games, and I’d definitely like to see the price drop, but this should be a good collection for retro-arcade enthusiasts.

Sony announced that PS+ was coming to Vita at Gamescom, but it’s been a waiting game ever since to learn more. We now know that this addition will come in November (just after the PSN Store remodel) and will include games for the instant game collection, discounts, online backups (up to 1GB), and automatic downloads, updates, and trophy sync. The biggest questions is still unanswered: will we have two separate subscriptions for the two devices, or does membership to PS+ Vita automatically include PS3+? Conflicting hints have been dropped that could go either way. Hopefully we’ll get a definitive answer from Sony on that one soon.

If you’d hears about Inafune’s secret “Yaiba” project and been wanting to know what he’s doing, look no further. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is apparently dumping long-time protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, for Yaiba, a ninja with a cybernetic arm. We’re promised “ninjas, zombies, and robots,” the golden trifecta of video game greatness. Oddly, the new protagonist seems to be a zombie, and coming after Ryu. Should be an interesting twist for fans. No word on a release date or platforms, though PS3 and XBox 360 should be expected.

On a related note, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 will be coming to PS Vita early next year. Hopefully that’s enough, because there were no other details.

I hate to even comment on such an unfounded rumor, but I can’t ignore anything about Half-Life 3. It’s just too much in demand. A source “close to Valve” has reportedly outed the game as being open world and containing RPG elements. We apparently won’t see the game until after 2013, sparking the question of whether it will even hit this console generation. Then again, with Valve’s recent moves in the gaming world, assuming it will even hit consoles may be folly. Frankly, the whole thing seems like a strange move for Valve. On the other hand, Valve has had a lot of success over the years making very strange moves. Read this as the rumor it is. If you like it, keep your fingers crossed. If you hate it, just assume it’s false until we see something official.

Have you ben enjoying Borderlands 2 this week? In addition to the comments about Star Wars-type vehicles possibly coming as DLC (that was in Tuesday’s VGQH), Randy Pitchford seemingly can’t stop talking about their future DLC plans. He’s clearly as excited for the game as the people playing it. There’s the four planned DLC add-ons that you get with the Season Pass, but that might not be all:

“We created the ability in Borderlands 2 to add additional characters because we want to use that ability.

“The Mechromancer is the first one. I hope to do more. The success of the Mechromancer will help to define this. Our ambition and passion and our fans requests will also contribute to decision making about what we do.
…
“The stuff we’re planning and working on for the Campaign DLC Season Pass is big DLC stuff – more like Knoxx. [Referring to “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx,” the biggest add-on for the original Borderlands.]

“We’re extremely far along with the first campaign DLC. The second DLC is also in amazing shape. The third DLC is a little farther out and the fourth DLC is just in the pre-concept stages.

“We will have other, non-season pass related DLC. The additional character (Mechromancer) is one kind of example. The Borderlands 2 team is fired up at the moment. Customer love for the game is driving us wild – making us want to do more and more stuff.

“So, expect that there will be even more beyond the big Campaign DLC in the Season Pass and the additional character. We’ll announce more stuff as soon as we are able to be confident in the commitment of the details we share.”

Details were just released today about a new mode in Halo 4, “Dominion.” This mode is similar to Battlefield‘s “Conquest” mode with a few changes. Each map will include three strategic points that your team will need to claim. The longer you hold a territory, the better the perks you gain (vehicle stations, turrets, shield doors, etc.). Of course, if you lose the territory, all those perks you gained fall immediately into enemy hands. Once a single team controls all three territories a countdown will begin. If that clock hits zero before the other team can claim one piece of strategic territory the game is over. This looks like a pretty robust mode, especially with two solid teams. It should be a solid addition to the multiplayer library, but will probably be instantly spoiled racist teenagers that only know four letter words. 343 Industries’ newest take on the franchise is coming November 6, 2012.

That’s all for this week. suprisingly slow considering Tokyo Game Show. Then again, TGS is so late in the season, there really isn’t much new and noteworthy by the time it rolls around. Check back Tuesday for next week’s early edeition.

TGS has brought us more exciting news in the world of video games. Warner Bros Interactive announced that they are slating Injustice: Gods Among Us to launch in April 2013. With this announcement they also released a new trailer, and some new screen shots. My favorite being the aftermath of Nightwing chucking Harley Quinn. The Batman close up looks cool, I just don’t think it gives much game play insight.

Anybody else ready for April? Let’s skip Christmas shall we?

Square Enix has announced that it will be making a Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD remake for the PS3, but you had better pray to the gaming gods that the game makes it Stateside, as it has only been formally announced for Japan.

Gamers have been chomping at the bit for the long promised third entry in the KH series, but Square has decided to slate our thirst with an HD remake of 2 of the games in one package; Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories will be coming soon to PS3.  Personally, I would rather see an HD upgrade of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, but this will be a nice way to bring back some of the fond memories the game created, and I know gamers stateside will snatch this up if and when it becomes available if it’s released at the right price point (no more than $20-$30).

For those not familiar with the franchise, Kingdom Hearts is an action adventure game that pairs the best of the Square world with Disney.  The story surrounds a young man named Sora, who goes on adventures throughout various Disney worlds, most of the time with Donald Duck and Goofy as sidekicks, in an effort to protect them, along with many Disney and Final Fantasy characters, from the evil Heartless which are working with villains both new and familiar (Maleficent, Peg-Leg Pete, Ursula, Ansem and the mysterious Organization XIII) to take over the whole of the Disney/Square universe.  I know it sounds a bit wacky, but the charming way Square has been able to pull this, and most of the sequels off, has made it a classic as remarkable as many of the best Final Fantasy games.

No release date has been scheduled other than sometime in 2013.

Yesterday at the Tokyo Game Show Sony officially announced their new slimmer PS3. The stream-lined system is 20% smaller and 25% lighter than it’s predecessor. The console will launch in 2 different sizes 250 gb and 500 gb, with a $30.00 price difference between the two.

The first release of the “slimmer” PS3 will be on September 25, 2012 for $269.99. This will be the 250 gig model and come with UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception: Game of the Year Edition and a voucher for more than $30 worth of bonus digital content for the highly acclaimed digital title, DUST 514. The Uncharted 3: Game of the Year Edition will be launching that same day for $39.99 as well for those not wanting to upgrade their system.





The 500 gig model will be launching October 25, 2012 as a limited edition bundle containing Assassin’s Creed III. This will run gamers $299.99 (a mere $30.00 more than the 250 gig bundle).





Personally if you’re thinking of upgrading I think the Assassin’ Creed bundle is the way to go; and if you’ve never owned a Playstation 3, both of these bundles are a perfect opportunity to jump on board. They didn’t announce whether or not the system would ship solo but I’m sure once the Holidays are over, the bundles may go away and we’ll see just the standard system.

What do you folks think? Is it upgrade time, or time to grab a PS3?

Sound off below!

I have to start with an appeal to Sony and Microsoft. Please announce your next generation consoles. Microsoft in particular, but not because it’s any more or less important than Sony, but because I can get away with calling their theoretical platform the PS4. My personal moniker for MS’s next-gen is neXtBox and I kind of hating typing that out. Regardless, why am I opening with such an appeal? I mean, other than the obvious reason that if it’s coming I want to see it. Mostly it’s because it’s obviously coming and we all know it but you act like it’s some big secret. Capcom, Rockstar, Obsidian, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square, name any other developer with some sort of credibility. All of these guys are talking about the next-gen games they’re building, but you aren’t talking about where we’ll be playing them. Even LucasArts is clearly building Star Wars 1313 for your next toys. They’re just playing along with your charade by saying it’s on a high end PC. I don’t need the full rundown of technical specs, just the basics: a name, maybe a picture of the controller, and some concept art for the shell. A launch window would also be appropriate, though we all know it’s probably late 2013, early 2014.

So what’s inspired my appeal? It’s actually not the desire to know more about these secret games being developed. It’s that Ubisoft has announced their next-gen plans and they seem to exactly the opposite of Capcom’s planned strategy to make more games more quickly with less staff. Speaking of the next line of gaming platforms, CEO Yves Guillemot is expects “something really new, really interesting that will boost the market enormously.” His plan for that “something” is to go “toward bigger games, and yes, we will make less of them.” Ubisoft quality has been improving steadily throughout this console generation so they’re definitely a developer I’ll be watching when we make the shift. As much as I love the Assassin’s Creed series, I’m okay with getting one every two or three years if it’s top-shelf quality. Losing Brotherhood and/or Revelations would have been fine with me, assuming AC III is as good as it looks.

Borderlands 2 launches today. What better time to start talking DLC? Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford has already started dropping hints about potential add-ons. We know four packs are planned for the year (and you can save $10 on the whole bundle by getting the season pass), but we might now have an idea of what we’ll see in one of them. According to Pitchford, he’s “always wanted to ride a sail barge and drive a sand skiff. [He’s] always wanted to do that, and [they’ve] got some cool stuff that’s along those lines.” I doubt I have to explain a “sail barge” or “sand skiff” to anyone who reads Big Shiny Robot! but…. Remember the beginning of Return of the Jedi when Leia’s in the gold out fit strangling Jabba and Luke is flipping around killing everyone? The big one was a sail barge, the small one was a sand skiff. I’m the one gamer on the planet who didn’t care for the first Borderlands. Pitchford may have just talked me into the sequel and its DLC simply by referencing Star Wars. Well played, sir.

SEGA has apparently decided to own the first week of October this year for digital releases. NiGHTS into dreams… and Sonic Adventure 2 will be dropping simultaneously for PSN (10/2) and XBLA (10/5). Both games will run $10. Nid… will include the 1996 “Christmas NiGHTS” DLC, formerly available on Saturn only as a magazine promotion. For an extra $3 you’ll be able to add the “Battle Mode” to Sonic Adventure 2, effectively getting you the modern version of Gamecube’s bundled reissue, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

Bioware officially announced Dragon Age III: Inquisition this week. Very little detail has been given so far, but the title should give you a few hints. No confirmation of returning characters, release date, etc. were discussed. Here’s what we do know: The team consists of veterans from the last two games and “talented new developers;” and it is being built on a new engine with better customization options, based on DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine. I doubt we’ll see much more on this one until after the holidays. This could be a Spring release like they did with Mass Effect 3 or it could be slated for holiday 2013. I think that will depend heavily on when Microsoft and Sony actually discuss their next-gen systems. No confirmation yet, but it appears this will be on current-gen, appropriately filling out a complete trilogy for this generation.

I don’t know how well anything Rock Band still counts as news, but they’ve announced a pretty ridiculous DLC sale. There’s something like 1,100 plus songs getting discounted. I haven’t confirmed, but it looks like everything that had been released prior to Rock Band 3 is on the list. You can kind of double down on this discount as well – all of these songs will play in both Rock Band Blitz and Rock Band 3. The graphic doesn’t format well into the post but click on it a few times and it will be legible. You’ll still need a giant screen TV to read all the singles at the bottom.

The above images were taken from Obsidian‘s home page on two consecutive days this week. The “countdown” began with a four on Tuesday and has changed daily since. This is leading up to the announcement of their next RPG project, one “So secret not even its project codename is yet being revealed.” The countdown will presumably end sometime today with the title and other details. Speculation is rampant. Considering the countdown started with a four, I’m betting that the initial speculation of Dungeon Siege IV is correct. But that’s probably flawed logic.

Details on the Prometheans (and some weapons) of Halo 4 have been revealed. It’s a lot of pictures, so just check out the story from yesterday. The game is scheduled for November 6, 2012.

I don’t know how useful any of this will be in a typical gamer’s console room but Microsoft has filed a patent for what is basically the Star Trek holodeck in your own home. Actually, it’s nowhere near that sophisticated as I’m sure Trekkies will love to explain. Instead, their patent calls for a device that would holographically project a game world onto the walls of your living room and track your head movements to know exactly where you’re looking. The walls and ceiling of your home would become an extension of your television. Presumably, assuming this will ever happen, this won’t happen until at least next-gen, and probably somewhere beyond. Excerpted from the patent text:

“Interactive media experiences, such as video games, are commonly delivered by a high quality, high resolution display. Such displays are typically the only source of visual content, so that the media experience is bounded by the bezel of the display.”

“Even when focused on the display, the user may perceive architectural and decorative features of the room the display is in via the user’s peripheral vision. Such features are typically out of context with respect to the displayed image, muting the entertainment potential of the media experience.”

“Further, because some entertainment experiences engage the user’s situational awareness (e.g., in experiences like the video game scenario described above), the ability to perceive motion and identify objects in the peripheral environment (i.e., in a region outside of the high resolution display) may intensify the entertainment experience.”

I barely have the space to use my PlayStation Move in my basement. And with a large window situated to the right of my gamespace, how will this work for me? Microsoft, send me a test unit for review, please.

Insomniac’s first foray into multi-platform gaming has received an official announcement. Being published by EA, Fuse (nee Overstrike) is a four-player action co-op focusing on what Insomniac does best, crazy weaponry. The game will feature four covert agents (Dalton Brooks, Izzy Sinclair, Jacob Kimble and Naya Deveraux) as they team up to use the eponymous Fuse for crafting new weapons in their mission to prevent an arms race. The in-game LEAP feature allows you to jump between characters during the game. Co-op is available on and offline, with your experience and character leveling moving between both modes. Release has been slated for March 2013, probably the perfect time to release a new IP as everyone will be finishing their holiday games and looking for something fresh to fill the void.

In the growing market of throwback-inspired games, 2011’s Terraria has proven to be a hit for PC gamers. Naturally, the next step is to take the title to consoles. 505 Games recently announced the action-adventure platformer that focuses on exploration and collecting will be coming to XBLA and PSN early next year. The game’s creator, Andrew Spinks, says “To see it come so far is a complete shock, especially after such humble beginnings. It’s always been my dream to have as many people as possible know and enjoy Terraria as much as I have, and this is another big step in that direction! It’s been awesome working with 505 Games, and I can’t wait for everyone to see the additional features that they’ve been able to bring to this new edition of the game.” Those “additional features” are still under wraps, but there could be enough to sell a fresh copy to some of the game’s 1.6 million customers to date.

You may have noticed earlier this week that system software version 4.25 was released on PlayStation 3. I don’t have a full breakdown of the changes, but I do know one of the highlighted features. For PlayStation Plus subscribers, you’ve probably noticed that the 150MB of online storage just hasn’t been enough for all of your games, especially the larger files. This update seems like it’s just for you. Your storage cap has now been raised to 1GB. You may still fill it up, but that’s a pretty significant amount of backup for your game saves.

Like Obsidian above, SEGA has also opened a teaser site for Project Omega. It’s counting down to September 20th. On the site, you’ll find some racy photos of an attractive female torso that has been tattooed with something the Germans call “ass-horns” when it’s on a woman’s lower back. I think it’s supposed to look demonic, but it actually just looks a tribal biker tattoo everyone got in the ’90s to be different. You know, different, like everyone else. Despite the deliberate sexiness and “hip” design, this teaser already has me uninterested in whatever SEGA might be doing.

For the record, those tits are likely not Bayonetta’s, despite the early speculation. It’s still possible. But why wait until September 20th to talk about Bayonetta 2 when Nintendo announced it yesterday as a WiiU-exclusive. No details, such as a release date, were included in the announcement. We’re just left with knowing that Platinum Games has it under development and you’ll have to buy Nintendo’s “next-gen” console to play it.

That announcement, by the way, was made yesterday at Nintendo’s big WiiU reveal. CitizenBot has pretty extensive coverage of everything announced, including the price points for both bundles. The console looks like it could have some success, especially with gamers in the “family” or “casual / slightly core” categories. Unfortunately, this reveal only serves to confirm for me that the WiiU is not next gen. I’ve created some controversy with this statement before, but I stand by it. The only true innovation is the tablet gamepad. But, Sony is incorporating similar usage for the PS Vita in conjunction with the PS3. Also, Microsoft’s upcoming SmartGlass seems to already be one-upping the function. From what I’ve seen of it, any smartphone or tablet running Android, Windows Mobile, or iOS will have an app available to incorporate into your XBox 360 experience. I’m still willing to be wrong. Maybe PS4 and neXtBox won’t push the innovation any further either. Maybe the next generation is simply boosted processing power.

If you watched Nintendo’s announcement this morning, you saw the pricing, bundles, and date of the new WiiU. You also saw video of Disney Interactive’s Epic Mickey 2. We knew it was coming to WiiU, but this is one of the first times we’re seeing information revealing specific content for the system. The biggest release in my opinion, will be the ability to utilize the game pad, to see an active map with way points and information. The release date still has not been confirmed for WiiU, but they did also release some screen shots. Here they are below along with quotes from the press release detailing information.

This will admittedly be the first time I’ve been super excited for a game from Disney Interactive. Epic Mickey 2 looks like it will have all the chops necessary to integrate platforming and adventure. This may be a day 1 pick up for my console.

Available across multiple platforms including Wii, Wii U system, Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3 system, players will enjoy HD graphics that showcase the vibrant game world. The game will also feature full support for the PlayStation Move.
Wii U system players will utilize the Wii U™ GamePad to view a fully detailed, real-time map of Wasteland with waypoints and markers to help guide them through the game and complete the different quests and side-quests. Players will also be able to use the GamePad to access sketches and activate them to use in-game for a more immersive experience.
Players can play as Oswald in drop-in, drop-out 2-player co-op mode with “The Power of Two” evident as Oswald participates in Mickey’s adventure every step of the way.
All in-game characters—most notably Oswald The Lucky Rabbit whose voice will be heard for the first time ever—are fully voiced by the official voice actors of those characters.
Players will experience Disney’s forgotten characters and attractions in all-new levels and further explore levels from the original “Disney Epic Mickey” game, but now changed, impacted by world-changing events that have shaken Wasteland apart. New 2D levels based on classic Disney animated films and shorts will offer compelling puzzle-based, platforming gameplay.
Players will enjoy an original game story co-written by award-winning American comic book writer, Marv Wolfman, and Junction Point. The storyline will feature a variety of new and returning characters that will further immerse players in Disney’s rich history while adversaries familiar and new will challenge players.
“Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” is the first video game that can be described as a “musical,” where at various points during the adventure characters will express themselves and advance the plot by bursting into song. All songs feature original Disney-inspired music and lyrics. Players will also hear tunes and instrumentation that change based on their personal choices, which will ultimately allow each individual to “conduct” their own unique soundtrack.

343 Industries has revealed character designs and details for the Prometheans and their weapons from the upcoming Halo 4. It looks as though you can expect at least eight variations in differing classes. The pictures speak for themselves, so I’ll just let them do it.

Halo 4 is set for November 6, 2012. Do these Promethean details make you more excited? Pre-order it now!

In a press announcement this morning in New York, Nintendo announced it would put their new Wii U console on sale on Nov 18th, a week before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. It will come in two configurations, a white one for $299 with 8 GB of memory and a black one for $349 with 32 GB. The black version will also come bundled with Nintendoland, a game I quite enjoyed playing at a recent “hands on” event.

This follows their announcement earlier today that Japan will see the Wii U on Dec 8, costing 26,250 yen ($337; £210) and the premium version 31,500 yen ($405; £251).  Perhaps even more importantly, the console’s main selling point– its touch screen controller– will be available to purchase separately for households that want more than one for $169, or approximately the cost of a 3DS.

This marks a departure from the norm, where traditionally Nintendo consoles are released earlier in Japan than in the US. For instance in 2011, the 3DS was released in Japan one month earlier than the US. Obviously, Nintendo is conscious of the US holiday shopping season. Also interesting is the US versions will come with a sensor bar standard, whereas the Japanese versions they are sold separately.

As I mentioned, I had the chance to play on a Wii U at a special event here in Austin a couple of weeks ago. It was absolutely amazing and made me incredibly excited for how the Wii U was going to change gaming for the better. A disclaimer: I consider myself a moderate console gamer. Not a pro who spends hours and hours a week, usually, and someone who would get easily pwned by going up against most core gamers, but I enjoy myself and I like spending time with friends and family playing games.  My first big impression was how much fun NintendoLand was. It was incredibly simple, but most of the games were pretty fun. We played a Luigi’s Mansion game and an Animal Crossing game with similar concepts: the person with the gamepad was the ghost/animal catcher, and had to get the other players and prevent them from achieving their objectives. We also played a Zelda-themed game where the folks with the Wiimotes were armed with swords and shields and the gamepad player could shoot a bow and arrow at the attacking enemies. Imagine playing the Wii Sports Resort swordfighting battle game, but on a team and with someone in charge of shooting volleys of arrows at your enemies as well. Casual gamers and families are going to love this.

Speaking of casual gamers, because I was there with my kids, we spent a lot of time playing Just Dance 4 and the new WiiSiing game. Lots of fun for the karaoke and dancing crowd. My 7 year old daughter absolutely rocked singing Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe”– and we were her “backup dancers.” Just Dance also introduced a “Puppetmaster” mode where the person using the gamepad could choose what dance moved everyone had to do next– pulling from both the library of dance moves in the fourth game but also including “classic” moves from previous Just Dance incarnations. Once again, proving the Gamepad experience as basically the “Gamemaster” for the evening and everyone else getting to play along. Yeah, fund for the casual and especially family gamers.

Nintendo is also being smart with making everything backwards compatible with Wii accessories. All of your Wiimotes will continue to work, as will your balance board. We got a chance to try out WiiUFit with some new trampoline and bobsledding games– hey, if you liked the WiiFit, it’s more of the same.

But of course the main attraction is Mario. New Super Mario Bros Wii U was a blast. Absolutely everything you want from a Mario game and then some. And, the best is how friendly it is to multiplayer. Although I can see people basically just doing it to mess up their opponents rather than help their teammates (which is probably more fun to begin with, right?). Speaking of fun, there was also a Pikmin, Scribblenauts, and a Game and Watch game which were all fun. That is the single bottom line of WiiU– high on concept and the fun factor. You might denigrate it as being only for casual gamers, but casual gamers are going to have a blast with this. So will core gamers if they just won’t be too cynical about it.

All I can say is, I’m in. I am probably the prime demographic for the WiiU– has owned a Wii and plunked down a decent chunk of change on accessories, am loyal to Nintendo and their games and IP, and not a hardcore gamer but someone who does always lament that the Wii isn’t in true hi-def and who might play Call of Duty more often if only he owned a PS3 or XBox. Also, has kids and wants to play games primarily with them but also wants the ability to connect with friends online to blow up some aliens every once in a while. Now, are there enough people like me out there to make this a successful console? I don’t care. For me and my family– we’re in. See you in line the night of Nov 17th.

Will continue to update as things go on.

UPDATE: 10:38 AM ET

Just announced is the new Nintendo TVii, a system that will work on your Gamepad as a giant interactive controller and media enhancement device. Customized for each Wii U user (you’ll have the icon of your Mii in the upper left corner), it will suggest all sorts of media based on what is available on the web, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and your dvr. These suggestions will come from what is popular, your previous choices, and also what is popular among your friends. You can also select your own favorites. While watching an episode of, say, Modern Family, the gamepad will offer you the ability to browse imdb, wikipedia, follow social media around the episode, tweet yourself about what you’re seeing, even see what has happened so far. If you’re a sports fan, it will be even more intense– sharing of stats, other scores, instant replays, and of course the social media tie-in.

This is, quite frankly, what I’ve been waiting for with TV. Thank you, Nintendo, for bringing it. And then, I’m sure, we’re going to see a ridiculous improvement when Microsoft announces integration between the new XBox and MS Surface.

UPDATE: 10:55 AM ET

Ahhhhh, the games. Nintendo has announced and demo’d even more games. They announced Bayoneta 2, which will be all online and published by Nintendo. They showed some footage from the new Bond game: 007 Legends. They also showed off how you’d be able to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 with the gamepad enhancement. From those who have been able to play Aliens: Colonial Marines, and these others, I have to ask– isn’t Nintendo making a play for the core gamers audience?  Looks like it– add some extra functionality and TV interactive experience, and a not incredibly high price, I think we could see a lot of people grab one up for Christmas and play with it until the next PS and XBox come out, the same way the Wii bridged the gap between PS2 and 2 and XBox and XB360.

UPDATE: 1 PM ET

Finally, an official press release.

Nintendo Announces Nov. 18 Launch Date and Details for Revolutionary Wii U Console

More Than 50 Games Confirmed for Launch Window, Including Super Mario Bros., Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed Titles
New Nintendo TVii Application to Change the Way Viewers Experience TV and Video Content Using Wii U GamePad Controller

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo today revealed full details about how the new Wii U™ home console and its groundbreaking touch-screen Wii U GamePad controller can revolutionize not only video game play but also the way people find and watch TV and video content. The new HD system will offer entirely new ways for consumers to play games and enjoy their favorite programming when it launches in the Americas on Nov. 18. During the launch window, more than 50 games will be available for Wii U, which will be offered in two different colors and configurations. The Basic Set will be offered in white at a suggested retail price of $299.99, while the Deluxe Set, which includes higher storage capacity, additional accessories and the new Nintendo Land™ video game, will be offered in black at a suggested retail price of $349.99.
At a special Wii U preview event in New York, Nintendo also unveiled Nintendo TVii, an application that will let Wii U owners in the United States and Canada find, watch and engage with their favorite video entertainment in fun new ways. Using the GamePad controller, Nintendo TVii lets viewers seamlessly explore available video content from a variety of sources – including live TV, their TiVo DVR and video-on-demand services such as Netflix – all in one easy-to-use interface.
Additionally, Nintendo shared new information about dozens of games on the way for Wii U, including Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros.™ U, LEGO® City: Undercover, BAYONETTA 2, The Wonderful 101™, Capcom’s Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate and Activision’s Call of Duty®: Black Ops II. New Super Mario Bros. U offers unprecedented ways for friends and families to play together and explore Mario’s world using the GamePad. Nintendo Land, which will be available as a standalone game or included with the Wii U Deluxe Set, is a virtual theme park featuring a lineup of 12 playable attractions based on Nintendo’s greatest game worlds, including The Legend of Zelda™, Metroid™, Mario™, Animal Crossing™ and Donkey Kong™. As an added bonus for consumers, a Chase McCain LEGO minifigure will come as a special pre-order bonus for those who pre-order a copy of LEGO City: Undercover at participating retailers while supplies last. All of these games will instantly immerse players in a variety of new game-play experiences that are available only on Wii U.
“The wait is almost over — in just 66 days, Wii U will arrive with the strongest lineup of launch software in Nintendo history,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “With the integrated second screen of the included GamePad and features that instantly enhance the way people play games, watch video and interact with each other, consumers will see how Wii U delivers a completely unique experience and a remarkable value right out of the box. The new system also creates extraordinary new possibilities for game developers, bound only by the limits of their imaginations.”
The Wii U Basic Set includes a white Wii U console with 8 GB of internal storage, one white GamePad controller, AC adapters for both the console and controller, a sensor bar and an HDMI® cable. In the Wii U Deluxe Set, components are black. This bundle includes all elements from the Basic Set, as well as the Nintendo Land game, increased console storage capacity of 32 GB, a console stand, GamePad charging cradle and a stand that allows users to place the GamePad vertically on a table. Consumers who purchase the Deluxe Set also will be enrolled in the Deluxe Digital Promotion, which lets Wii U owners receive points for each digital download and redeem those points for future downloadable content from the Nintendo eShop. The promotion is currently planned through 2014.
Both configurations offer a wealth of one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences, including an online gaming community called Miiverse™ and the new Nintendo TVii application. Using the touch screen on the GamePad controller, Nintendo TVii users will be able to browse programming from sources they subscribe to, including cable and satellite channels, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube and even their recorded TiVo shows – all from a single starting point.
The selection of third-party games on the way for Wii U will include some of the industry’s biggest names and most beloved franchises. Activision is set to bring several of its leading properties to Wii U during the launch window, including Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants™ and TRANSFORMERS PRIME™. Other third-party games coming soon to Wii U include Assassin’s Creed® III, ZombiU™, Rayman Legends® and Just Dance® 4 from Ubisoft, Madden NFL 13 and Mass Effect™ 3 from Electronic Arts, Scribblenauts™ Unlimited and Batman: Arkham City™ Armored Edition from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two from Disney Interactive.
“The integrated second screen of the GamePad creates new possibilities for how games can be played, and further reflects the innovation Nintendo has poured into the Wii U,” said Eric Hirshberg, Activision Publishing’s CEO. “We’re excited for our fans to experience the biggest franchises, like Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants and Transformers Prime, in new ways made possible on Wii U.”
Below is a list of upcoming Wii U games that will be available on launch day or during the launch window*. (For information about third-party games, check with the individual publishers.)
Publisher               Title
505 Games               Funky Barn
2K Sports               NBA 2K13
Activision Publishing, Inc.             007™ Legends
Call of Duty®: Black Ops II
TRANSFORMERS PRIME™
Wipeout 3
Skylanders Giants™
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
Capcom          Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate
D3Publisher             Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
Ben 10: Omniverse™
Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
Disney Interactive              Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Electronic Arts                 Mass Effect™ 3
Madden NFL 13
EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13
Frozenbyte              Trine 2™: Director’s Cut
Gaijin Games            Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Majesco Entertainment           Zumba® Fitness Core
Maximum Games           Jett Tailfin™
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.                 TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT™ 2 Wii U Edition
TANK! TANK! TANK!™
Nintendo                Nintendo Land™
New Super Mario Bros.™ U
NINJA GAIDEN™ 3: Razor’s Edge
SiNG PARTY™
LEGO® City: Undercover
Wii Fit™ U
Game & Wario™
Pikmin™ 3
The Wonderful 101™
SEGA            Aliens: Colonial Marines™
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Shin’en                 Nano Assault Neo
Tecmo Koei America Corporation          WARRIORS OROCHI® 3 Hyper
THQ             Darksiders® II
Wheel of Fortune®
JEOPARDY! ®
Two Tribes              Toki Tori 2
Ubisoft                 Assassin’s Creed® III
Just Dance® 4
Marvel Avengers™: Battle for Earth
Rabbids® Land
Sports Connection™
Your Shape®: Fitness Evolved 2013
ZombiU™
Rayman Legends®
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment          Scribblenauts™ Unlimited
Game Party Champions
Batman: Arkham City™ Armored Edition
* Launch window is defined as the period beginning Nov. 18, 2012, and ending March 31, 2013.
Broadband Internet access is required for online features. For more information, go to http://support.nintendo.com.
Remember that Wii U features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu.
For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.9 billion video games and more than 630 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website athttp://www.nintendo.com.———————————————————————–