Delays are nothing new in the gaming industry. That’s why I’m not shocked that Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 has been delayed from its August 21st schedule. What is slightly odd though, is that it’s now set for October 9th. Not that October is a bad mmonth for games, but because it’s a very big month for them. The first Ghost Warrior was decent game, but nothing special. It found some sales, but was hardly a huge hit. Delaying the sequel for the extra polish makes sense if you’re trying to build a loyal fan base. A lackluster game with an even more lackluster sequel is a good way to lose a lot of good will. But, being a lackluster, under-the-radar game means you probably shouldn’t be squaring off with Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty, Halo 4, Resident Evil 6, and every other AAA title on the market. If you’re already giving up two months for quality, why not give up three more for sales and release this in the January doldrums?

I came across an odd item concerning Persona 4 Arena that I just can’t seem to make sense. Of course, nothing about that series makes sense, but this concerns its release, not its content. One of the nice but unnecessary things about the PS3 is that it’s region free. For most gamers this is irrelevant, so you may not know that on most consoles you have to buy a game from the same region of the world that you bought your console. If, like one of our ‘bots on this site, you bought your Wii while living in Japan but now live in the US, you’ll need to import your Wii games from Japan for them to work. Sony has avoided this by making their consoles, and all of the games, “region free.” For some reason, Atlus now intends to release Persona 4 Arena as “region locked.” Frankly, this doesn’t make sense unless the copies from various regions have different content, something that would have been applicable before Australia created their newest rating, but is just silly now. Considering the game is set for release in Japan on July 26th, the US on August 7th, and the EU on August 31st, maybe they’re just trying to prevent the western countries from importing it early. But, why? And why is Sony okay with it?

So, The Walking Dead has an ongoing comic, a TV series, and a successful adventure game from Telltale. Also, Activision has the gaming rights. Which means the obvious next move is to cash in and turn the franchise into a cloned FPS rather than the unique property it is. Thanks Activision. Just what I need from an artistic and touching IP is a game that makes it just like all the others. Am I being unfair? Possibly. Activision has hired Terminal Reality, developers of the Ghostbusters shooter, to create a “haunting, unforgiving quest to make their [Daryl and Merle Dixon] way to the supposed safety of Atlanta.” I like the idea of playing as the Dixon’s, I’m guessing with the option of co-op. I also like that you’ll probably see a lot of crossbow. Having a resource management component that makes avoiding zombies just as important as killing them is also a good thing. Now if I could just get over my dread of Activision making a zombie of the entire franchise, I might actually be able to support the game. Current plans are for 2013 on XBox 360 and PS3.

The release date for Sony Smash Bros. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has finally been announced, along with the preorder bonus. Like every other game you’ve been considering, this one is scheduled for October, the 23rd to be precise. Preordering will get you an extra character skin for everyone on the roster. By the looks of it, you’ll be getting a Robin Hood out fit for Sly Cooper (actually I think it’s one of his relatives from the upcoming Thieves in Time), a Deimos skin for Kratos, spacesuit for PaRappa, pink pirate get-up for Fat Princess, etc.

The two question marks were filled in over the weekend at EVO. Heihachi Mishima of Tekken fame is the second third party fighter for the game (Big Daddy was first). Also, Toro Inoue, the Sony “mascat” you may remember from SFxTekken, was announced. Two more characters are expected at Comic-Con this weekend.

Speaking of Toro, Capcom is has taken the DLC model and turned it into something completely insane. I can’t make heads or tails of what they’re doing with Street Fighter x Tekken now. We’ve known for a long time that the PS Vita version would introduce 12 additional fighters (for a total of 50). It was also discovered immediately after release that those same fighters were on the PS3 disc, but locked. The plan, we thought, was for the characters to be released with the Vita version in Fall. Those 12 fighters will actually be available on PS3 on July 31st for $19.99. If you do buy the Vita version you’ll get the 12 characters included. You’ll get two codes included in the box. One will give you alternate skins for the original 38 characters on your Vita. The second will allow you to port the 12 fighters to your PS3. So, if you plan on getting the Vita version, don’t spend the $20 now like everyone else you want to face online? Why does this seem like a punishment to people who are buying your game twice? Vita preorders will also get alternate costumes for the 12 (SF: Blanka, Cody, Dudley, Elena, Guy and Sakura; T: Alisa Bosconovitch, Bryan Fury, Christie Monteiro, Jack-X, Lars Alexandersson and Lei Wulong) that can be ported to PS3. I suppose that makes up for it?

343 Industries apparently likes to keep busy. Not only are they developing Halo 4, which looks to great despite the doubters, but they’re also looking to capitalize on the success of Halo Anniversary. No time frame has been specified, but work on Halo 2 Anniversary is underway. When it comes to HD revamps of last-gen classics, they’re a dime a dozen, but few of them are special. Halo Anniversary was definitely one of the better one, and Halo 2 version is going to make a lot of people very happy.

Gearbox promised some kind of unlockable content for Borderlands 2 if you have a save from the first game on your system. I doubt anyone was expecting anything serious, and it’s not. Your “Vault Veteran” rewards consist of a new head and costume for each of the four heroes. A new skin may also apply to the upcoming fifth character via DLC, but since it wasn’t mentioned in the release I doubt it’s happening. I’m not even sure how to describe the weirdness that you’ll be unlocking, so I’ll let the picture handle it.

With last week’s announcement that NiGHTS into Dreams is being remade for HD, it’s the perfect time to reveal NiGHTS as a playable racer in Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed. NiGHTS is the fifth racer announced that’s new to the series. Unlike Gilius Thunderhead (Golden Axe), Joe Musashi (Shinobi), Vyse (Skies of Arcadia), and Danica Patrick (real life), NiGHTS won’t be cruising the tracks in a kart. Instead he’ll be flying along the surface just like in his own game. Still no release date for the kart racer, but the NiD is hitting your console’s store in Fall.

You’ve probably already beaten Dragon’s Dogma, and by now you’ve used your code to get the Resident Evil 6 demo. But, according to the game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, “It would be best if you held on to the game for a bit.” Based largely on the success of the title, which was better than expected, they’ve got new gameplay elements on the way. Based on fan reaction, a sequel is also very likely, though not official.

The final issue of Marvel’s team up with Rockstar will be available this week. Max Payne 3: Fight and Flight focuses on Max’s days at the academy and the beginning of his police career. This expands on, and could be considered a companion to, the memories triggered in Chapter 4 of the game. Like the previous two chapters, Sam Lake and Dan Houser wrote the story. Fernando Blanco is on Pencils. You can get the final issue when it releases later this week from the official website. But you might as well enjoy the Michael del Mundo cover now.

Rumors of an Assassin’s Creed movie have been stirred about for several years, but talks stalled between Sony and Ubisoft after the game company reportedly made “ridiculous” demands. Despite the controversy, the film could be gaining momentum once again with a somewhat surprising announcement. Michael Fassbender has apparently agreed to star in the film as well as co-produce with his company, DMC Film. The star of X-Men: First Class and Prometheus, Fassbender could be adding to his repertoire with at least one, and possibly two characters for Ubisoft’s second film (the first was 2010’s Prince of Persia). Fassbender will likely be playing the hero of the first game, Altair, and possibly the series true star, Desmond, as well. Casting Altair and Desmond as the same actor could seriously effect the future of the franchise, assuming it’s successful. If this turns into a series of films, not only would he need to come back as Desmond, but it would only make sense for him to play Ezio and Connor as well. With no writer or director (both more important than the actor, even if it is Michael Fassbender) in place the film is still far from happening, but a little closer than it was last week. Wrath.o.tron has his own take on the news here.

If historical game movies aren’t your thing, what about future game movies? CBS Films has optioned the rights to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I imagine this would probably include the entire Deus Ex universe, but the film they’re planning is based specifically on the Eidos reboot from last year. Roy Lee (The Departed) and Adrian Askarieh (Hitman, Kane & Lynch films) are attached as producers. Eidos Montreal will be working with CBS to insure the appropriate look.

With two huge Transformers games under their belt, you might be wondering what High Moon is planning next. If they were aping Michael Bay, the obvious one is to talk about ruining a classic franchise then cancel it. But the difference would be that High Moon did a good job with the franchise and we should expect them to do it again. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a new TMNT game. But it could be one featuring a different Marvel animal, Hit-Monkey. There was a website for the game for a short time, but it’s now bricked. That points to an announcement likely coming at Comic-Con. The only thing the online universe has been able to salvage from that temporary website is a single teaser image, advertising a 2013 release.

There seems to be a bit of a dissension in the ranks over at Namco Bandai. While the suits have been asking Katsuhiro Harada what he plans for DLC on Tekken Tag Tournament 2, he’s publicly declared he’s opposed to charging for anything additional. Harada even told Eurogamer that “given the choice to include paid DLC or quit Namco, I would maybe quit.” It takes a big pair to lay that out publicly. Harada’s views on paid DLC for fighting games have also been made clear, “If you’re making a fighting game, all of the elements necessary to enjoy it should be on the disc, or should at least be available for free.” He did concede that unnecessary but desired elements could be employed. Additional fighters, bonuses, move sets, etc. would be game breaking to his way of thinking. Less vital elements, he specifically mentioned classic soundtracks and legacy ending movies, could be leveraged for the company without affecting actual gameplay. I’d assume those elements could also include color swaps. Cutting that line a little finer, alternate costumes and additional stages might also fit the bill. I have little to no interest in fighting games, but I am interested to see how the situation gets resolved.

That’s all for the early edition this week. Nothing truly groundbreaking, but there’s still bound to be something in here you’ll like. Check back Friday for the latest news that breaks as we enter the first couple days of San Diego Comic-Con.

It was revealed this morning (via Variety) that Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Prometheus) will be starring in, and co-producing via his DMC Film, the now-confirmed Assassin’s Creed movie adaptation. The games’ production company, Ubisoft, will be at the helm, which makes this a very exciting announcement in a realm that has so far failed to impress. Video game movie adaptations are rarely, if ever, phenomenal, but the AC franchise is one of the biggest in Ubisoft’s roster, so you can bet they’re going to make sure the project is up to their creative standards. Ubisoft has proven their ability to create a fantastic, and highly cinematic product over and over with every installment of the Assassin’s Creed games, we can only hope their production savvy will transfer well to the film.

There are no details on where, or more importantly when, the AC movie will take place, but I wouldn’t necessarily put money on any of the settings we’ve already seen. It is by no means beyond the realm of possibility that Fassbender will step into the role of Altair, Ezio, or Connor—it’s probably quite likely—but the world and mythology of Assassin’s Creed spans most of human history. So the film really could take place anywhere, and anywhen.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on here besides the excitement of seeing Fassbender take up the role of Assassin on the big screen, like Ubisoft launching their brand new Ubisoft Motion Pictures production company. As recently as last October, Ubisoft was in talks with Sony to create the AC picture, but they decided to found UMP and direct the production themselves to maintain creative control. Sony may still end up as the distributor, but at present it sounds like UMP and Fassbender’s production company DMC Film will be securely at the wheel for this one. The AC movie will be Ubisoft Motion Picture’s first big, big production, so it may be make-or-break for the fledgling venture. I’m rooting for them.

(via Variety, Den of Geek, and ComicBookMovie.com)

Earlier this week I mentioned that EA sees the future of distribution as 100% digital. This seems like a natural fit for one of the companies that spawned the $10 online pass. After all, what better way to prevent used game sales than not having a physical item to resell? Not so fast, EA. At least, not according to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The recent ruling from the EU’s equivalent of the US Supreme Court has determined that the right to distribute a copy of computer software is “exhausted” after the “first sale.” “An author of software cannot oppose the resale of his ‘used’ licenses allowing the use of his programs downloaded from the internet,” reads the ruling. Parsing the legalese, this means EU member can resell their digital licenses, regardless of whatever End User License Agreement (EULA) included. This would indicate that you could reasonably sell a PSN or XBLA game you no longer play to a friend, who could then legally download the program from Sony or Microsoft’s store. Naturally, the court did not indicate how digital distributors are supposed to accomodate those transactions. Since the US is clearly not a member of the EU, the ruling does not affect us directly. However, if digital distributors face new requirements to uphold this ruling in the EU, it may simply not make sense for them to have separate systems in North America. Barring that, could this ruling affect the worldwide digital sales strongly enough to discourage major publishers from even going that route? Couple this turn of events with the recent rumors that next-gen consoles could go digital only, and we could see come serious conflict on the horizon.

Another special edition has been announced for Hitman: Absolution. This super limited Deluxe Professional Edition comes with an exclusive big-headed Agent 47 statue that is simply way too cute for words. It will also include the standard art book, DVD, and Agency Gun-Pack DLC. Pre-ordering the package also gets you instant access to the Sniper Challenge game playable now. Unlocks in Sniper Challenge can be carried over to the full game when it releases November 20, 2012.

With Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD ($14.99) releasing to PSN and XBLA in a couple of weeks I’m starting to get a real sense of nostalgia for the older games. Remastering levels from the first two titles is truly a brilliant move. Unfortunately, for me, the pinnacle was actually the third game. That entry introduced the revert and had Darth Maul as an unlockable character. Also, the Airport level is simply supreme. That’s why I’m thrilled to report that the first DLC pack is already being planned for release a month later. For $4.99 you’ll be able to add on three levels from the third game, including the Airport, all remastered in HD. Of course, those levels were originally designed for use with the revert move, so that will be included for the new levels as well. You won’t be able to revert in other levels, but that was practically game breaking in later versions of the Warehouse level. I was iffy on whether I was buying this one, as I just wasn’t convinced I needed it. Now, I’ll be picking it up when the DLC drops. Hopefully I’ll see a PS+ discount of some sort to really encourage me.

Have you been wanting more character skins for Minecraft on XBox? Title update 1.73 is in certification at Microsoft. The update will bring a few more skins, making a new total of eight. Also on they way, “around the same time,” will be a character skins DLC pack. This pack will include over 40 additional skins, including ‘Splosion Man, Ms. ‘Splosion Man, (Burger) King, Banjo, and a Covenant grunt. There will apparently be a trial version of the skins pack available, but I don’t have any details on how that will work.

THQ’s financial troubles are no secret, and it’s been covered a few times in VGQH. Apparently the latest game cut from their roster in the restructuring of the company is Valhalla Games’ Devil’s Third. In an official statement, THQ confirmed “that the company will not be publishing Devil’s Third. All of the game’s IP rights have been returned to Itagaki-san and the Valhalla team.” The return of the IP rights means Valhalla can find a new partner and still publish the game. Itagaki mentioned that the game is almost complete, and is now entering the most expensive part of development. Previews for the game have looked great, so it’s nice to see it back on track with the option for a new publisher.

In a strange twist for the video game world, Activision has moved up (as opposed to delaying) a release date. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is now scheduled for August 24th, one week ahead of the previously announced August 31st. It’s not much, but it does mean you’ll be bashing giant robots just a little sooner.

Because you know you simply can’t get enough hadokens and mutants, Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins is slated for PSN and XBLA in September. This downloadable title will remaster two classic games, Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, in full HD. Both games will have new features, including enhanced online play and dynamic challenges. Exact date is unknown, but it set for September, $14.99.

Nothing has been confirmed by Capcom, but those weird tech-heads that like dissecting program files may have found a secret campaign in Resident Evil 6. The demo for the game released earlier this week for those who bought new copies of Dragon’s Dogma. In addition to the Chris, Leon, and Jake stories we know to be in the game, program files have hinted that an Ada Wong campaign may also be included. This should be considered rumor for now, but in my experience I’d say this likely true. What exactly an Ada campaign will be is anyone’s guess. I’d expect these files to be the basic structure for planned DLC, not an actual hidden campaign.

After SEGA dropped a mysterious picture on their Facebook page on Tuesday, they’ve since confirmed it’s from an upcoming HD re-release of NiGHTS in to Dreams. The SEGA Saturn had a few real gems, and it’s nice to see them finding a home in the modern downloadable space. The new release, scheduled for fall, will have a new 3D mode and will also include the original version with no touch-ups.

It’s hard to get much more old school than Frogger. If you’ve been getting the urge to smash a few amphibians under a semi tire, look no further than Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition. Zombie Studios is making this latest version to come to PSN and XBLA next week. The basic gist hasn’t changed, hop a frog across a busy highway and over some logs to rest in a lily pad. But it will include some additional Konami skins from other classic franchises, like Castlevania and Contra.

Speaking of old school, it’s been a long time since gamers have been able to suit up as veteran John Rambo. After the announcement last August of Rambo: The Video Game, all talk of the game has gone quiet. But don’t think it’s cancelled. Reef Entertainment has announced the game is still in development and will be playable at Gamescom next month.

Looks like that will do it for this week’s late edition. Mostly ho-hum. Sometimes we have those weeks. I apologize for the lack of pictures, my uploader seems to be on the fritz. I’ve got a few I’d like to add and will update as soon as I can get it working again. In the meantime, check back next Tuesday for more.

In a discussion on diablofans.com a representative from Blizzard talks about the end game situation looming before fans of the series. (By end game situation I mean lack thereof.) We here at BigShinyRobot, like our Diablo. But I can honestly say that driving myself to grind items, and replay the story 3 more times has been near impossible. I feel, like many members of the Diablo community that there is a lack of end game. The game didn’t fail, and isn’t bad, they sold 6 million plus copies after all. The game simply won’t continue to sell out if there is no reason to continue playing. Here are the quotes from the Bashiok.

We recognize that the item hunt is just not enough for a long-term sustainable end-game. There are still tons of people playing every day and week, and playing a lot, but eventually they’re going to run out of stuff to do (if they haven’t already). Killing enemies and finding items is a lot of fun, and we think we have a lot of the systems surrounding that right, or at least on the right path with a few corrections and tweaks. But honestly Diablo III is not World of Warcraft. We aren’t going to be able to pump out tons of new systems and content every couple months. There needs to be something else that keeps people engaged, and we know it’s not there right now.

We’re working toward 1.0.4, which we’re really trying to pack with as many fixes and changes we can to help you guys out (and we’ll have a bunch of articles posted with all the details as we get closer), and we’re of course working on 1.1 with PvP arenas. I think both those patches will do a lot to give people things to do, and get them excited about playing, but they’re not going to be a real end-game solution, at least not what we would expect out of a proper end-game. We have some ideas for progression systems, but honestly it’s a huge feature if we want to try to do it right, and not something we could envision being possible until well after 1.1 which it itself still a ways out.

A few readers asked more questions, and the next quote begins.

Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose, but we believed pre-release that the item hunt would be far more sustainable, and would work to be a proper end-game for quite a while. That didn’t turn out to be true, and we recognize that.

and for the final piece.

Haha… oh wait, that’s mean! I don’t know that I’m allowed to release specific concurrency numbers, but we have hundreds upon hundreds of thousands playing every night. Comparing to just normal drop-off post release of a WoW expansion, Diablo III has been very solid, and it’s not even out in China yet.

Amidst server errors for the first few weeks, trouble with the auction house, and lack of end game, do you feel Blizzard fully delivered on this one? I don’t want to dump my opinion too heavily, but I’ll say that since completing the game I’ve only logged in twice.

I want to know what you folks think, did you get what you paid for? Are you angry, or simply done? Or are you still grinding it out and loving the game, comments welcome below.

Eurogamer and Pocket News shows a new version of the Playstation 3. The current system is the 3000 series, and this looks to be listed as a 4000. The changes to the system are thought to be announced next month in Germany at Gamescom. 3 years ago, Sony rebranded the slim PS3 at this very same conference. Touting that it was “32% smaller, 36 % lighter, and needed 34% less power to run.” So who knows, you might be able to play God of War and Mortal Kombat on a new stream lined machine. It’s also quite possible that they’re simply updating a few pieces inside to cut costs and we see no update at all. My original goliath is still humming away in my gaming cabinet, barring some unforeseen gaming/electrical nightmare I’ll stick to the old school, it’s just electricity right?

July is starting off pretty strong, lots of news in the early edition this week, and it all ends with some speculation on the future of the gaming industry. Cloud distribution? Free to play? Sony, Microsoft, EA, and Crytek are all talking about the future, and some of it scares me.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the upcoming collaboration from Studio Ghibli and Level-5. Not being into anime I keep getting tempted to just write this one off. But then I remember how awesome Level-5 games have been and I see the art and think it’s worth a shot. The story about a separate world with analogs of certain people also reminds me Stephen King and Peter Straub’s collaboration, “The Talisman.” So I think I am going to play it, but I’ll be passing on the just announced “Wizard’s Edition.” It’s only been announced for the EU and Australia so far, but it’s reasonable to think it will come to the US in some form. This edition has your standards: a nicer box, the game, a book, and some DLC. But the book isn’t your standard concept art magazine, it’s a 300+ page hardcover companion with an included bestiary, item descriptions, spells, and history of the game’s alternate world. The set also comes with a plush doll of Drippy, Oliver’s odd companion. The DLC includes two additional familiars, the “golden mite” and “golden drongo.” Two more familiars, “flutterby” and “griffy,” are available as pre-orders bonuses from select retailers. The game is scheduled for January 22, 2013.

As if it isn’t bad enough that our games are constantly getting delayed, now the DLC is being delayed too. The “Arctic Strike” pack for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is not going to hit its scheduled release today. The delay isn’t long though, as it is still expected to release later this month. According to Ubisoft’s official announcement, “We decided to take a small amount of extra time to further polish the content. The pack is planned for release later in July and the exact release date will be announced as soon as possible.” The add-on will include several new maps “from the streets of Moscow to the far reaches of the Arctic,” a new multiplayer mode, six weapons, and a Guerilla co-op map.

When E3 closed last month, most of the gaming press was busy talking about everything they had seen and what they found most exciting. Very few discussed what they felt was missing, or were surprised they didn’t see. It’s not really surprising that Grand Theft Auto V wasn’t on display, as Rockstar has always had a shaky relationship with the event and with ESA, the organizers. But it’s still a game that everyone would liked to have seen, even if it didn’t have a very large presence. Gamescom, the next major gaming event, is happening next month in Germany. The latest hype video for that event has just a momentary glimpse of footage from the game’s trailer released last year. Speculation is now that Rockstar will be showing the game at that event. But, as usual, Rockstar doesn’t “comment on rumor or speculation.” Which isn’t an outright “no.” Knowing Rockstar’s traditionally reclusive approach, and knowing they have a built in market of millions without the need for major press events, I doubt we’ll see them in Germany. I think the next you’ll see from them is an exclusive preview to a major gaming magazine, likely Game Informer, and a few more teaser trailers right before the game’s release, which is still scheduled for late 2012.

Several months ago, Ubisoft previewed the various collector and special editions of Assassin’s Creed III that are releasing in Europe. At long last, they’ve finally revealed the edition we’re getting in the States, where the game takes place. This $120 Limited Edition will include a 9.44″ statue of Connor, an embroidered 28″x48″ colonial flag, and a metal Assassin belt buckle. I’m a little disappointed that they haven’t included a picture for this edition with the announcement. That’s sort of standard procedure with limited editions. Instead, I’ve got a picture of the UK’s Freedom Edition. It’s likely the Connor statue is the same. The game releases October 30th.

People change jobs all the time. And if you’ve read VGQH long enough you’ll know that sometimes those job changes are important enough they just have to be reported. One of those was announced yesterday. If you’re a fan of fighting games, you should know Seth Killian‘s name. Remember the final boss from Street Fighter IV? Seth? Yeah, that’s him. He’s been at Capcom as “special combat advisor” for several years. His work was instrumental on SF IV, as well as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and other entries into their gaming catalog. So who’s scooped him up from Capcom? Sony has just brought Seth on as lead game designer with the external group and Santa Monica Studio. You should know that name too, they’re working on their fourth entry in the God of War franchise now. The external group at Sony is responsible, in its various forms, for games like Journey, PlayStation All-Stars, Escape Plan, Unfinished Swan, etc. Seth is a real talent and whoever stole him from Capcom probably deserves a raise. This move shouldn’t be that surprising though, as Seth has always had a great relationship with Sony, having appeared on their Blogcast and even serving as a guest judge on The Tester. Here’s Seth, on the left, chatting with the Blogcast crew at E3 last month:

How excited are you for Halo 4? Don’t answer that, we all know. You can’t wait to get that disc, pop it in, start pwning n00bs, and spouting racist, homophobic nonsense at children. Actually, please refrain from that last part. But don’t get too excited yet. Not only are you going to have to wait until the game launches November 6th, but you won’t be headshotting ten year olds as quickly as you’d expect either. That’s because you’ll be spending time sorting through the files on your nearly full hard drive and deciding what to do delete, then watching the install screen as the game creates the 8GB file needed for multiplayer! That’s according to a recent update on the XBox product page. Seriously, 8GB? I’ve had some large installs, some up to 4GB and I think that’s insane. My current Rock Band file is probably over 10GB, but that grew slowly over time. How long is it even going to take to install that? And what’s the benefit? This thing better have zero load times. And I can’t help but notice that the link provided above doesn’t just tell you about the install size, it also has product links for buying XBox-branded memory sticks and the 320GB media drive. Is it just my pessimistic nature, or is it reasonable to think this might be as much about selling storage as about needing the storage?

After the announcement last month at E3 about Sony’s changes to PS Plus and the Instant Game Collection, there’s been plenty of concern about how and when new titles would roll in. Sony seems to be answering some of those questions as they’ve revealed the next three games being rolled into the collection. For the month of July, Gotham City Impostors, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, and Renegade Ops will be free for PS+ members. All three are PSN titles, as opposed to the blockbuster retail releases already seen with Little Big Planet 2 and inFamous 2 (both of which are still in the collection). Of the original 12 games, three have also been rolled out: Virtua Fighter 5, Hard Corps Uprising, and Choplifter HD. Those three are still available if you “purchased” them last month but didn’t download or have deleted them, as long as you maintain your Plus subscription. Seeing as Gotham City Impostors was already announced as 50% off for the summer sale, I can’t help but think these changes are somewhat impromptu. I’m curious now to see what next month brings.

In what could prove to be a major change to the landscape of gaming, Sony has bought Gaikai, a cloud gaming service, for $380million. Andrew House, head of Sony Computer Entertainment, says this will enable users “to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.” Which devices? Tablets and smartphones, surely. But maybe the PS3 and Vita as well? PS4? David Perry, co-founder of Gaikai, also seems excited about the direction this could go, saying they’re “honored to be able to help Sony rapidly harness the power of the interactive cloud and to continue to grow their ecosystem, to empower developers with new capabilities, to dramatically improve the reach of exciting content and to bring breathtaking new experiences to users worldwide.” These types of streaming services have been around for some time, but haven’t really gotten a strong hold in the mainstream gaming audience. With Sony getting involved, and bringing the power of the PlayStation brand to bear on it, this could be a major shift in the gaming continuum. Or it could be a fad like motion controls.

In response to Sony’s acquisition, Microsoft simply added that they were unconcerned about the purchase. The attitude of their statement actually sounds like they expected the move, or at least something like it. Which, considering their own investments, they probably did. According to a Microsoft representative, “The cloud has been a key component of our strategy and a big area of investment with Xbox for many years. Through Xbox LIVE we’re serving up gaming and entertainment in the cloud to more than 40 million people. We’re committed to delivering extraordinary entertainment experiences across devices in a uniquely connected way through Xbox, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and other popular devices, and we’re looking forward to continuing to innovate in this space in the future.” For the first hints at Microsoft’s cloud plans, look to their announcement of Xbox Music at E3. This app is set to launch later this year. For a monthly or annual fee, you’ll have a streaming source similar to Spotify that can also store your own music from other services in an online locker. If reports are correct, you can expect to access your music from any device running Windows 8.

And, speaking of Windows 8, Microsoft has just laid claim to a number of domain names that were in dispute with someone in China. It’s notable that they deliberately sought out Xbox8.us and Xbox8.org. With Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 set to release later this year, could these domains be related to the officially nonexistent but clearly deep in development next-gen console? XBox Infinite has been a rumored working title for the console.

All of the discussion about cloud gaming and digital distribution seems to have gotten in EA’s head. EA Labels President Frank Gibeau sees the company going 100% digital in the near future. He does clarify that “soon” is going to be dictated by gamers and how they want to purchase the media. But, his long term plans are clear: “For us, the fastest growing segment of our business is clearly digital and clearly digital services and ultimately Electronic Arts, at some point in the future… we’re going to be a 100 percent digital company, period. It’s going to be there some day. It’s inevitable.”

Meanwhile, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli is still rambling on about free to play. His recent comment that their company would be going 100% free to play was met with a collective grin and a shaking of heads. But he’s still going and I’m starting to think he’s serious. The model has shown much success in the multiplayer element, with DC Universe Online, the Star Trek MMO, and all those games your Facebook friends don’t care that you’re playing. But how would it be incorporated for a single player? Yerli is confident it will work: “We’ll figure out how to make a game like Crysis 3 work. If the proposition is, the gamer gets the games for free, well, that’s better for the gamer. And what’s best for the gamer is best for the industry.” Don’t get me wrong, I’d love some top shelf free games, but not at the expense of hundreds of dollars worth of microtransactions. But John Riccitello of EA convinced me, half-hyperbolically, that the plan is awful when he was trying to sell it to investors: “When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you’re really not that price sensitive at that point in time. So essentially what ends up happening, and the reason the play-first, pay-later model works nicely, is a consumer gets engaged in a property. They may spend ten, twenty, thirty, fifty hours in a game. And then, when they’re deep into a game, they’re well invested in it. At that point in time the commitment can be pretty high. It’s a great model and it represents a substantially better future for the industry.”

On the one hand I have to applaud some of these game and console makers, particularly Cevat Yerli, for their confidence and creativity. It’s refreshing to see an industry that’s being proactive about evolving in the current market, as opposed to the music industry’s flailing at the dawn of the digital age. On the other hand, I can’t help but think these kinds of announcements are seeing games turn into a service rather than a product.

Someday soon a foul-mouthed teenager is going to call me old fashioned because I like paying a set amount of money and receiving a specific product in return to use as I see fit. I totally understand the concept of paying for an “experience” rather than an item. I like roller coasters and concerts, though I’m probably getting too old for those as well. But games, to me, are sort of like books. Yes, I am paying for the experience of reading or playing, but I also like to put them in my collection, loan them to friends, and maybe revisit them sometime down the road. I’ve read The Grapes of Wrath nearly as many times as I’ve played the original Legend of Zelda. Both are sitting on a shelf or in a drawer in my home waiting for the next time I need to visit these old friends. I can’t help but compare that to the fun I’ve had with Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer. I’ve been told it’s not very good, but I’m not much of one for online play and I’ve enjoyed it. In five years I won’t be able to revisit the mode, or even get the best ending in single player, because the servers will be shut down. The PS3’s online support will likely no longer even exist. Maybe I am old and senile, but that’s sad.

If you can’t relate to that sentiment, think about those long boxes in your basement. Any time you want to re-read the the Infinity Gauntlet or that issue of Batman when he throws a car battery at a thug, you just have to blow off some dust. But if you’re buying Avengers vs. X-Men digitally, you’re counting on Marvel keeping those issues on the server long after you trade in your current phone. I want to be forward thinking and embrace the digital age, but I subscribe to cable and I buy blu-rays. Digital and cloud distribution is great, but let’s not do away with physical media. And Cevat, free to play works in some cases. But, please don’t push it into areas it doesn’t belong. I’d like to try your games for free with a demo and pay a set amount for the full experience, not find myself over the limit on my credit card because I made 12,000 smaller purchases instead of one at a reasonable price. “Free to play” is just too expensive.

Mass Effect 3 suffered plenty of controversy from angry fans shortly after it released in March. The game itself was enjoyable, expanding on both of the previous games in positive ways. The main gist of the complaints had to do with the ending not meeting expectations. Ultimately, Bioware was doomed to fail in this aspect as the franchise was simply too well-loved and they’d created far too many variables to create an effective ending. I was enthralled enough during my first completion of the game to not notice many of its glaring flaws. Later discussion made me realize just how much was bad. As a whole I still believe its original incarnation is a great 40 hour game with a very bad last 20 minutes.

In response to the fan outcry about this terrible ending, Bioware has spent the last several months working on the Extended Cut DLC to address some of the major issues. Depending on why you hated the ending, this free add-on may or may not satisfy you. If your complaints were in regard to the glaring plot holes and complete lack of closure, enjoy your new cut scenes and your fourth option. If your complaint was that your decisions over the trilogy didn’t matter in the ending sequence, that’s still the case. I was mostly in the former camp. As for the latter, I felt your decisions were reaching conclusions throughout the game, and didn’t really need final resolution in the end credits. If you didn’t like those resolutions throughout, you still won’t. They haven’t changed. The first that comes to mind is the Rachni. You’ve made several choices about their fate over the trilogy, but their ending is basically the same no matter what you’ve done.

Unfortunately, a decent review of the added content is not possible without spoilers. There’s your warning. After the next paragraph, I’m going to ruin some things about two of the possible endings.

Spoiler-free:
This has to be brief to avoid spoilers. You won’t actually see much difference until the very end, after all essential combat is completed (Marauder quick draw sequence if that means anything to you). One major plot hole, Anderson, is still unexplained. Most of Hackett’s plot holes are filled. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than the original. You’ll probably still be disappointed. The addition of a fourth option for the end game was satisfying for me, but will surely infuriate plenty of fans. A few additional scenes add depth to the conclusion and you can feel good about your squad’s future, if not Shepard’s. Bioware has also thrown a bone to fans in their final note, acknowledging their contributions instead of advertising DLC. Is it better? Yes. Am I satisfied? No. The attempts to “fix” something I didn’t think was that bad has just made the problems remaining even more glaring. I expect to be in the minority with this opinion. Many of the complainers will still take issue, but will likely be pacified by the attempt. If you ranked the original ending as a 3/10, this is probably a 7/10. Better but still flawed. Ultimately, the strongest complaint, our choices not actually mattering, is left completely unadressed. Many unanswered questions are resolved. Others, usually appropriately, are left vague. If you want more details, read on for a recap of two possible endings.

Recap of original:
To know a little more about my Shepard, check my original (incomplete) review. In summary, Betch Shepard is true to her name, ruthless and rude. If it had an L1 icon to perform a heroic action, she ignored it. If a renegade R1 appeared, that button couldn’t get pressed fast enough. In my original ending, I was confused by the three options Catalyst Child offered. None of them seemed heroic or renegade. Everything had a cost too high to pay. I was thoroughly confused by the option on the right being presented in red, a color associated with renegade actions in the game, but showing it as the choice Anderson would have made. The blue option, normally heroic, is shown as the choice the Illusive Man would have made had he been capable. Ultimately, I chose the red destruction option based solely on color as my guiding tool. The result? Everything broke, Joker took off, a companion that should have been dead stepped off the ship with him, and credits rolled. Somewhere in there was a quick cut scene showing Shepard’s broken armor and a final gasp of breath. Apparently that only happens with the destruction choice and high enough Galactic Readiness. Post credits, a final scene featured Buzz Aldrin speaking to a child about the legendary Shepard.

The early end game:
To provide a fair review, I felt the only appropriate comparison was to make the same ending decision. I actually screwed that up at first and found what I believe to be a new, fourth, option. But more on that later. Bioware has recommended you reload a save from before your assault on the Cerberus base to get the most effect from this cut. I actually didn’t notice anything new on that mission, so I assume it’s recommended only because that is your point of no return. It is possible that the whispers I heard in Shepard’s final dream sequence were new. But, they weren’t significant and it’s just as possible they were there before and I just didn’t remember it. I also didn’t notice any changes in the first part of the final mission, attempting to destroy an AA gun. The break between that assault and the final sequence also seemed unchanged. You still have the option to have awkward conversations with your squad. Additional dialogue may have been changed in those conversations, but it simply wasn’t extensive enough for me to notice if it has. That awful, rhythm-breaking turret sequence in the middle of this is still around as well.

The late end game:
I did make one change to my play on my extended cut run. The first time, Javik and Liara accompanied Betch. This time I went with Ashley and EDI. The actual combat was unchanged. The first event I really noticed as being different was during the final run to the beam, as Harbinger is blasting the shit out of everything. In order to further clarify the ending a new cutscene was added. This shows my squadmates being severely injured and Joker coming in for the evac. Despite Ashley’s protests, I refused to let her accompany me and told her she was unfit for combat (renegade option). After Harbinger’s final blast Major Coats still states, incorrectly, that the entire squad is gone. Shepard still has a pistol I didn’t equip, but I let that slide both times as creative license. After plugging three husks and a marauder, as before, I came upon the next added scene. It’s here that we discover Hackett was informed that one soldier, specifically Shepard, made it through the beam into the Citadel. We still don’t see where the messenger got the information, but at least we’re no longer blindsided by Hackett talking to Shepard later. This is sort of a recurring theme with the extended cut. It’s like Bioware tried, but they had painted themselves so far into a corner it wasn’t even worth fixing it completely.

The next big complaint in the original ending was how Anderson possibly got to the Citadel. This is completely ignored in the extended cut. Even Hackett’s information contradicts it as he’s told only one soldier, Shepard, made it aboard. The problems with Anderson are exacerbated when Shepard meets up with him. Despite his claim that they landed in different areas and that he walked a tunnel to the control panel, there’s no other entrance to the room. This, along with a few other subtleties, indicated to me that Anderson is already dead. It seems he’s sort of Shepard’s Jiminy Cricket. I have no story basis for this idea, but it makes sense to me. Which is okay. Bioware, like a film director, is allowed to leave unanswered questions. Despite fan protestations, it is okay to think for yourself about a few things.

I noticed little to no change with the final confronation with the Illusive Man. Another complaint from the original ending is that there was no precedent for Hackett suddenly talking to Shepard. With the earlier added scene, and the scene showing the Death Star becoming the Dildo of Doom as the Citadel re-opened I felt it was much more clear. Hackett knew it was Shepard aboard, but couldn’t communicate with the Citadel closed. The conversation with the Catalyst Child seems unchanged but I felt like I understood the options a little better – both their logic and what they’ll cause. This may be due to subtle additions, or just my paying attention. For instance, it seemed clear that the synthesis option is only available because Shepard was already able to unite the races. It didn’t work in past cycles because galactic life wasn’t ready. However, the final three options are still unclear as to which is “heroic” or “renegade.”

The split – fourth option:
But, before we get to that choice, we have my accidental discovery of the fourth option. I’m calling it the “Rush” ending because of one of my favorite lines from a song: “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” [Yeah, I probably misquoted that some.] Being Betch Shepard, and taking all possible renegade choices I continually chose the dialogue in the bottom right when speaking to Catalyst Child. I was shocked when this immediately ended the game, as the prior version eventually forced a choice. In a way, I believe this to be the most appropriate ending for Betch. Unfortunately, it’s probably the only way to actually “lose” at the game. When Catalyst Child says “so be it” it reminded me of a very similar line from Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. This option results in the cycle continuing. Your only gratification is Liara’s time capsule message from way earlier in the game being played on some planet many thousands of years later. Also, the Stargazer/Child sequence post credits was altered. No more Buzz Aldrin. Instead it was a female adult speaking to a child, both of indeterminate species. Their knowledge of Shepard comes from Liara’s archive. Altogether, I liked this much more than my original ending, and possibly more than my “true” extended cut ending, though there was less to this one.

The split – first option:
Thankfully the autosave got me out of my “mistake” fairly easily. Choosing to restart the “Citadel: The Return” mission got me straight to the part where I kill three husks and a marauder again. I wouldn’t have minded starting after the stupidly long hallway, but whatever. This time, I agreed to make a choice after Catalyst Child gave me all three options. To make the most fair comparison with my original ending, I chose the first option, destruction, again. If you wondered why Joker suddenly cut and run in your original ending, there’s now a scene of Hackett ordering everyone to flee, along with some encouragement from the squad. I’m still unclear on how a guy with brittle bone disease can crash the Normandy into a planet and walk away. This is where the true essence of the extended cut begins, with some very stylish art splashes voiced over by Admiral Hackett. The gist of his message is that we are “at our strongest when we work together.” We do see the mass relays damaged, as before, but we also see that they are repairable “within a few months” according to Catalyst Child. Instead of the original ending’s questions, we get hope for the future. A very touching sequence sees the crew observing Anderson’s name in the center of the Normandy’s Memorial Wall (still missing Jack’s name despite Betch losing her in ME2‘s suicide mission). Commander Shepard’s name is also added, a bit prematurely. I still got my final gasp sequence, which I assume is still a variable. Once again, Buzz Aldrin’s Stargazer caps the credit sequence telling tales to the boy again.

The original ending was disappointing in its lack of an epilogue. It had a sort “our princess is in another castle” feel to it. Hackett’s voiceovers and the accompanying art now show a galaxy in turmoil, with plenty of obstacles, but also a unification of the species and a hope for the future. Galactic travel and interaction will begin again. The reapers are gone and the various races have only themselves to blame for further altercations. Of course, it still ignored some choices. What will happen with Krogan? The ending seems to have forgotten that I allowed the genophage’s cure to be sabotaged. Other questions about the Asari, Quarian, and Geth can be overlooked as being unanswered for a reason. But really, the fate of the Krogan will be vital if Bioware ever intends to revisit this universe.

Before we get started, be sure to vote on yur favorite cover for Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion. Zombietron has the full story and the options, solo Mickey or Mickey with other Disney characters. Vote for your favorite at their Facebook and the winner will be the official cover. Of course, if they’re clever, they’ll just make it reversible like the Mass Effect 3 cover.

Meantime, more news:

Tecmo Koei has confirmed the Dead or Alive 5 Collector’s Edition, but so far it’s only in the UK. I’m certain it will make its way to North American shores though. If it does come across the pond, and it’s the same as announced for the Brits, it will include a set of swimsuits for the female characters, hardcover art book (soft-core porn), CD soundtrack, and a cast poster. In the meantime, preordering the game will give you the option to choose from two sets of bunny outfits. The Angels Pack provides bunny costumes for Kasumi, Lei-Fang and Hitomi. The Devils Pack will bunnify Christie, Tine and Ayane. Soon after this announcement, a new character, Rig, was revealed. Rig is a Canadian Tae Kwon Do expert. That makes 13 total fighters, a number I expect to increase before the game’s release in September.

You may have noticed a Mercenary Pack for Dust 514 on your PSN Store this week and wondered why. After all, the free to play shooter from CCP Games isn’t even out. There is a good reason. Buying the $20 pack will unlock about $50 worth of content in the full game, but it also guarantees you Beta access, starting this weekend. So what exactly do you get for the $20?

• 4,000 Aurum ($20 USD value) – in-game currency for DUST 514
• 30-day Active Skill Booster – increase earned Skill Points by 50%
• “Dragonfly” Scout Dropuit – unique armor with unlimited use
• “Toxin” ICD-9 Submachine Gun – unlimited use and custom skin
• HK4M Shotgun X 50
• Hacked Drop Uplink x 50 – create on-the-spot spawn points for teammates
• Fused Locus Grenade x 50
• 1.5dn Myofibril Stimulant x 50 – temporary melee damage boost
• All Access Beta Pass – participate in every Beta Event, additional play sessions during off weekends

Over on the XBLA you may have noticed the launch of Kinect Central, along with the temporary promotion for a Kinect game, Haunt. Starting on Tuesday and ending Monday, July 2nd, Haunt is available for free. Wait a minute. Hasn’t Microsoft repeatedly told publishers that content can’t be free on XBLA? Anyway, I don’t even know if it’s any good, but it’s free so why not grab it. It’s not like you’re doing anything else with your Kinect.

With Bioware finally releasing the nearly 2GB Extended Cut of Mass Effect 3 earlier this week (review), they’re now hinting at the future DLC they’ve wanted to do all along. I suspect the days of free add-ons for the title are over. Then again, that depends on fan reaction to the Extended Cut. Producer Mike Gamble teased the next content via Twitter: “Would now be a good time to talk about how we’re doing more DLC in the future? That was a trick question. We’ll save the future DLC for future chats. Don’t worry though. There’s much more.” Naturally, eager fans have already scoured the Extended Cut’s code and discovered elements of an add-on apparently titled “Leviathan.” Plenty of script and dialogue from the chapter are included. All of that stuff is findable online, but I’m avoiding spoilers myself so I’m not even posting links in case I see too much in the effort.

After his appointment to CEO and president of Sony Corporation in April, it should come as no surprise that Kaz Hirai is stepping down from chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment. Hirai has spent many years with the company, working his way from sales in the music division to the new head of the entire corporation. His continued role at SCE was expected to be temporary during the transition. As CEO of Sony Corp. he will still have a part time position on the Sony Online Entertainment board. This coincides with Sony Chairman Howard Stringer leaving his own role on the same board. Also part of this management change is the appointment of SCE Japan’s president, Hiroshi Kawano, to the SOE board. Hirai’s time at SCE ushered in the age of PlayStation, one of the few segments of the company still performing well. It’s hoped that Hirai’s leadership will set the rest of organization down the same successful path.

I’m still a little disappointed that United Front Games is making LittleBigPlanet Karting instead of ModNation Racers 2, but a unified Play. Create. Share. enterprise simply makes more sense for the Sony brand. But I’m not so disappointed (or stupid enough to miss a good game) as to boycott the release. Which is why I’m signing up for the beta. And you can too. You can already sign up if you’re in the EU. In North America the sign-up isn’t quite ready yet, but we have been told to watch the PlayStation Blog closely as its launch is imminent.

A “retailer quiz” has been made available by Microsoft to educate retailers about the upcoming Halo 4. It’s kind of a weird concept, but it does reveal some details about the game. Apparently there are pages and pages of content, but most of it just hype, like “Halo 4 will be a huge blockbuster game this holiday that every gamer should play.” A few details that may interest fans do come from this though:

• 10 new weapons
• 2 new vehicles, “plus many of your favorites from the past”
• “Improved support to create, organize and track groups” – read clan support
• 10 multiplayer maps at launch, more to come
• 50 Spartan Ops missions to be released per season, all with “high-quality” cinematics
• First season free – 12 hours of gameplay, single-player or co-op

The first DLC for Max Payne 3 has been revealed, and Rockstar says it will be available July 3rd. “Local Justice” is included in the Rockstar Pass ($29.99), or will be available for $5.99 for the first week ($7.99 later). Buying the Rockstar Pass will also get you the “Disorganized Crime Map Pack,” “Deathmatch Made in Heaven” mode, “Hostage Negotiation Map Pack,” “New York Minute” co-op pack, “Painful Memories,” and “Trickle Down Economics Map Pack” as they release through summer and fall. The preorder bonus packs will also be available for purchase (or free with Rockstar Pass)on July 3rd, including: Cemetery Map ($1.99), Silent Killer Loadout Pack ($1.99), Pill Bottle Item ($0.99), Deadly Force Burst ($0.99), and Classic Max Payne Character ($0.99). The Local Justice pack includes

• three new maps from the singleplayer endgame
• 55th Battalion HQ map for all game modes
• Imperial Palace and Departure Lounge maps for Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Payne Killer
• Light Fingers Item for faster looting
• M4 Assault Rifle with attachments
• São Paulo Police Faction with avatar options

Official details are scarce, but it appears the Nuketown multiplayer map will be “reimagined for the future” as a preorder incentive for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. One of the most popular maps from the first game, the new version will be called Nuketown 2025. There is some indication that this will actually be just one part of a “limited edition map pack.” But, as I said, details are scarce so that could be incorrect. The game is scheduled for November 13, 2012.

The official party line from Microsoft is that they “have not made any announcements updating launch timing for Gears of War: Judgment beyond early 2013.” Apparently we should “Stay tuned for new details… to be revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, July 12-15.” Be that as it may, the latest rumors are that Microsoft is looking at February 2013. We’ll have plenty of ‘bots covering Comic-Con so stay tuned to Big Shiny Robot! to get those details as soon as they drop.

I don’t tend to cover a lot sports games in VGQH, mostly because there’s too damn many of them. But, some of you may be interested, so take a look at the $100 Dynasty Edition of NBA 2K13. This pack will obviously include the game, but it also comes with a very pretty, full-sized Spalding basketball (designed by Art of Basketball), a set of Ink’d Skullcandy earbuds, and a textured Skinit controller skin. The price seems a little high for a game that gets released every year, but the bonus content is roughly retail value. The real question is whether you need a pretty basketball and a controller skin. The Ink’d earbuds are nice, I own a pair, but they’re fairly cheap to buy separately.

Sad news for those working in the gaming industry this week, as Prototype developers Radical Entertainment and parts of SEGA Europe were both closed. Radical, owned by Activision, was all but shuttered this week, with their parent company citing poor sales on Prototype 2 as the cause (only 250,000 units despite generally positive reviews). A few members of the staff will remain, providing supporting roles on other Activision projects. Over at SEGA, offices in Australia, Benelux, France, Germany, and Spain, are being closed as part of their ongoing restructure. Distribution in those territories will now be handled by SEGA London with help from third parties, Level03 Distribution and 5 Star Games.

Apparently Shaun and Ed had the right idea. At least according to Spanish developer Moonbite. They’ve recently announced Zombeer, a “first-person-survival-horror-comedy-shooter (FPSHCS).” The main character, K, wakes up after the zombie outbreak to find he’s been bitten but uninfected. How? Well because he’s hungover, of course. Apparently beer fends off the zombie virus. I always knew drinking was good for something. According to Moonbite’s CEO, Carlos Fernandez, the “team is very passionate about pop culture so the game proudly features many references to movies, comic books and games that we like.” Sounds great and I’d like to know more, but that’s all I’ve got for now. Apparently the game is planned for “HD consoles” by year’s end.

With XBLA’s Summer of Arcade being announced recently, it’s time for PSN to show off their Summer Sale. It’s a little unfair to compare the two though. SoA is all about new games, while PSN’s version is more about discounting older titles that have often been overlooked. Beginning July 3rd, Sony will be taking 30% (50% for PS+) off 12 games you really should play if you haven’t already:

• Closure
• Crysis
• Infamous: Festival of Blood
• Jurassic Park: The Game
• Killzone 3 (Multiplayer)
• NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
• Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
• Real Steel
• Renegade Ops
• Shadow of the Colossus HD
• The House of the Dead III
• Worms: Ultimate Mayhem

By now you’ve surely seen or heard about 007 Legends. Rather than focus the licensed game on just the next film in the franchise, this one will feature missions from six of the films, with their respective Bonds all being replaced by the current super-spy, Daniel Craig. To date, Skyfall (2012) and Moonraker (1979) have been confirmed. The latest reveal is the inclusion of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). The movie wasn’t bad, but it’s a good thing Lazenby is being replaced as he’s generally considered the worst 007, alongside Timothy Dalton. I’m looking forward to seeing the remaining films being included. The game is scheduled for October 16th.

That does it for the week, and also for the month of June. Check back Tuesday for the latest snapshots of gaming news – assuming I survive the Spartan Beast at Soldier Hollow this weekend.

Aaah, third quarter. Welcome to the doldrums. It’s the high season for movies, and the dead season for games. There are a few notables hitting retail shelves this season, but you should really be watching the downloadable space on your consoles and handhelds. Those quick snack downloadable games tend to carry the quality through the heat. That’s all going to start with Quantum Conundrum on July 10th, one week before Microsoft’s official kick-off to the Summer of Arcade with Tony Hawk’s HD makeover. As for what I’ve got listed to watch in retail, the same rules apply as usual. Details are as accurate as I can validate at the time of publication. Everything is subject to change and I am allowed to be wrong occasionally. Just for fun, and to keep up spirits during the slow months, I’ll recommend a good drink (for responsible gamers of legal age in their respective countries) to pair with a particular title.

July 10th
NCAA Football 13

Arguably the better of the two major football titles since EA monopolized the sport, the college game tends to have a little more depth than its NFL cousin. This year sees introduction of the new Heisman Mode. GameStop’s preorder bonus is a 3-player Heisman Challenge for that new mode. Amazon’s bonus is the Nike Pro Combat pack, featuring premium uniforms for Army, Universtity of Georgia, Oklahoma State, Oregon, and Michigan State. Best Buy is giving you the Five Star Quarterback DLC. None of those are special enough to make up for Amazon offering the game for $45 right now.Recommended beverage: This is football. Don’t get complicated. Cheap American Lager, your favorite brand.

July 31st
Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance

If you love Disney and Final Fantasy you’ve certainly played one of these games over the years. I quite enjoyed the second one, then got really bored really fast with one of them for PSP. I would say I like both franchises, but don’t love either one, so I’m hardly the target audience. Don’t read too much into this, but I think this series will be most “at home” on a Nintendo platform, and the handheld space just seems ideal. As for preordering, it appears to not be store-dependent. Any preorder should get you the Dream Eaters AR cards. The three AR cards unlock a 360 degree viewing platform for the Dream Eaters, R&R Seal, and one of three random characters (Sudo Neku, Meowjesty, or Ursa Circus).
Recommended Beverage: Sorry, I know plenty of adults are buying, but I just can’t bring myself to recommend alcohol with this one. But it’s the height summer, grab a Slurpee in your favorite flavor.

August 14th
Darksiders II

Another one I can’t say I’m excited to play, but will be very popular. I know I’m in the minority, but the first game just bored me. Which I don’t get because it seemed to have everything going for it that I would be sure to like. It was probably just a victim to being played at a time when I wasn’t in the right mood for it. Regardless, this one has you playing as Death instead of War and looks to be just as amazing as I expected the first one to be. Though all preorders will get the “Argul’s Tomb” expansion, other bonuses do vary. GameStop’s “Death Rides” pack provides several exclusive sidequests, allowing further exploration of the Maker’s Realm and Dead Plains. If you’d rather soup up your apocalyptic mount, Amazon has the “Deadly Despair” pack, providing a permanent speed boost for Despair, Death’s pale horse. Best Buy will net you a prequel comic and the “Angel of Death” pack – including new armor, a pair of deadlier scythes, and a new colored trail for your crow (really???).
Recommended Beverage: Possibilities are endless for this one. Something biblical like wine would work. But for my money (and palate), there’s nothing like a good scotch for facing down the end of the world. No need to be snobby about it, rocks or even a little water is okay, but make sure it’s a decent scotch. You really don’t want to face the Apocalypse drinking Johnnie Walker Red.

August 28th
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Yes, this is the same week as Madden, but I’ve already done one football game. And this is Big Shiny Robot! Of course I’m going to recommend the game that has two factions of giant robots battling to escape the planet their war has destroyed. If you’re a fan of the classic Transformers, you’ll want to order your copy from GameStop. They’re including the G1 Retro pack with classic Optimus Prime (robot and vehicle form), Megatron gun, and Shockwave cannon. If you’d rather have the merged Combaticon form of Bruticus (G2), get yours from Amazon.
Recommended Beverage: Yes, there is a drink called Motor Oil, and yes the it’s most appropriate one for this game. Prepare to feel like you’ve been punched by a giant robot. Start with one once of Jagermeister in a triple shot glass (or use the similar but much better Underground from Ogden, UT). In order, add 1/2 ounce each of peppermint schnapp’s, cinnamon schnapp’s, and coconut rum. If you’d prefer it as a cocktail, mix it up in a rocks glass with ice and garnish with mint leaves.
For the more adventurous and disturbed, how about a transforming shot, the Cement Mixer? Take a shot of Irish cream but don’t swallow it. Add a shot of lime juice and swish the mixture up like mouthwash. Hope you like milk flavored gelatin.

September 18th
Borderlands 2

Something about this quarter, it’s just filled with franchises I know I should like, but just didn’t interest me. I know Wrath-o-Tron is about to malfunction over his excitement for this one. Only GameStop seems to have a preorder exclusive, the “Creature Slaughter Dome.” In the dome you’ll face off against the toughest monsters in Pandora. It will be difficult, but the rewards are worth it. Even if you don’t care for that bonus, you’ll still want to preorder a copy from somewhere to get access to the Premiere Club. Club membership gets you a pack of gold guns to begin your Pandora journey, the Golden Key in the Sanctuary Loot Chest, the Vault Hunter’s Relic, and free access to the Mechromancer class when it’s released.
Recommended Beverage: I actually had this one planned for Far Cry 3 but it’s delay to November 30th killed it. I really wanted to include this drink and I didn’t have a good one for Borderlands 2. Which means you get my weird adaptive logic to make it fit. Specifically that 151 is deadly and can be used as flamethrower, which I’m not even sure are in the game but should be. Also, it’s an island drink. Pandora isn’t really tropical but it is remote like an island. It’ll all also knock you on your ass, something I imagine would always be the goal when drinking on Pandora. So, the Caribbean Breeze: one ounce of 151 proof rum, 1/2 ounce of coconut rum, five ounces each of pineapple and cranberry juice. Fill a Collins with ice, add all ingredients, and stir. Garnishing with fruit is optional but recommended, especially cherry bombs (Everclear-soaked cherries) or loaded watermelon cubes.

September 25th
Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse

The show really isn’t for everyone, but you can’t deny it’s popularity. I’m not even sure what to expect of the game but I simply have to give it a try. Details are still a little scarce since it’s so far away, but it seems to be spinning off from the “Road to the Multiverse” episode of the cartoon. You’ll be playing as Stewie and/or Brian. Competitive and co-op multiplayer are included. Again, this is pretty far off, so preorder bonuses aren’t showing up anywhere. I’d expect to see something announced, even if it’s just a downloadable episode of the show, sometime in mid-August.
Recommended Beverage: Hmmm, breast milk for Stewie? No, that’s gross. Toilet water for Brian? Slightly more gross. Beer for Peter? Maybe, but we already did that. Something multiverse related? Yes, something to make you see double. Like a Boilermaker. It’s simple but effective. The traditional version is often called a Depth Charge. Drop a shot of rye whiskey into half a pint of pale ale and knock it back. Vary your whiskey for preference. Variations include the Car Bomb (Irish whiskey with a float of Irish cream dropped into a Guinness) or the Loaded Cerveza (a shot of tequila into a full bottle of Mexican lager, like Corona or Dos Equis, and drank slowly).

Some honorable mentions that I skipped this quarter for various reasons but you’ll probably want to play:

July 31st – Risen 2: Dark Waters Special Edition
August 14th – Sleeping Dogs
August 19th – New Super Mario Bros. 2
August 28th – Journey Collector’s Edition
September 11th – Tekken Tag Tournament 2

All of these are really just keep you entertained until October, of course. That’s when the gaming market really picks up again. You can look forward to Just Dance 4 (which fits our drinking theme nicely as no adult has ever played the franchise while sober), LEGO Lord of the Rings, and Assassin’s Creed III, among others.

I know you’ve always wanted to choose you favorite cover art for a game. And I know you love contributing to your favorite franchises. The development team behind Epic Mickey for 3DS is giving you the chance to do both! You can go to their official Facebook Page, and vote for your choice. The two choices for art work are shown above. I find myself partial to the image on the right. Something about Mickey being on the cover by himself just looks right. I know there are other Disney characters involved in the game, I simply don’t care. Just give me Mickey, and I’ll be happy. Epic Mickey releases on November 18, 2012. Which cover do you folks pick?