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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Takashi Miike, director of Ichi the Killer, Audition, and Visitor Q, is now working on a film adaptation of the popular game series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. The film, set to release this February in Japan, now has a trailer that surfaced recently and gives us a brief glimpse into Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney). Luckily, Miike seemed to have left incest and torture out of this one….

I am a huge fan of the games, having played and beaten every single one of them and for a while, I have been secretly wishing for something like this to happen. I’m glad Phoenix got representation in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and now I’m ecstatic there is a movie chronicling his adventures. Most of the characters seem to be faithfully represented here, everyone from The Judge and Larry Butz to Manfred Von Karma looking a lot like their video game counterparts. Briefly, you can even see an appearance by the police station mascot. (1:01) Awesome. My only little gripes so far is that Maya looks a little older than I remember and where the hell is Detective Gumshoe?! There must be at least a couple Japanese gentlemen of larger stature out there that could fit the role, right? Regardless, I can’t wait to see this movie…

How much do you love gaming? Enough to read a semi-weekly column summarizing the news? Apparently. Enough to spend hundreds of dollars on a new console every few years? Obviously. Enough that you continually pay for extra character skins that don’t actually change the way you play a game? Probably. Enough to hijack a truck in France to steal 6,000 copies of Modern Warfare 3 the day before it releases in the US? I hope not. But clearly there are two people who needed the game that badly. Or the money, but it’s funnier if they were just after the game. Either way, two masked men rammed a truck in southern Paris, brandished knives and tear-gassed the driver and his partner, then hijacked the truck, making off with 6,000 copies of one of the most anticipated games of the season. The only thing that would make this story more interesting would be if they had stolen GTA V instead. But, it occurs to me, this could be a good use of the ten dollar online passes. Assuming each of those games are packed with online codes, and assuming the cases can be traced to a specific lot number of games, couldn’t Activision flag those online codes? Then, when the codes are activated on PSN or XBL, they can identify the users. Sure, 5,998 of them are probably people that just thought they were getting a good deal on eBay, but they can still be contacted to trace the seller. Only problem? I doubt anyone actually keeps track of what codes go into what lots.

So what will the players who reserved those 6,000 copies of the game be doing this weekend? Possibly playing Battlefield 3‘s Sweepstakes Weekend. EA and DICE want to say “thank you” to their fans who have been so passionate about the game. To that end, if you play BF3 online between 12:01 am (GMT) Friday and 11:59 pm (GMT) Sunday you’ll be entered into the sweepstakes. First prize is a trip for you and three friends to DICE’s studios in Stockholm, Sweden. Second prize is $5,000 (USD), and third is a new console with the full back catalog of Battlefield games. Obviously this event is only a thank you to the fans, and has nothing to do with Modern Warfare 3 releasing today.

With two of the top RPG franchises in this console generation (Mass Effect and Dragon Age) under their belt, you’ve got to wonder what Bioware has up their sleeve after March. They’ve promised to give us a clue next month at the VGAs (on Spike and MTV2, December 10th, 8:00 pm EST). That’s when they plan to show us their new IP. With a pedigree like Bioware’s, I expect good things. The teaser image they’ve released for Game Informer certainly doesn’t look like anything we’ve seen from them in the past. Although it definitely serves as a great reminder to always wear your seat belt.

If you play older Sports games online, it’s time to update again. FIFA 2010‘s servers are being shut down on December 6th, 2011. NBA 2K11‘s servers will be shut down later this month. This comes despite having a few different modes from its 2012 successor, and the continued online trouble with 2K12.

And that’s it for a very slow news week in gaming. Which is fine, seeing as it’s been a very slow week in gaming for me. I’m still slowly chipping away at L.A. Noire and I put in about two hours on inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood on Sunday. Have I mentioned how much I love this series? I haven’t heard anything from Sucker Punch, but having beat the second game both ways, I’m convinced there can’t be a third title. I really hope I’m wrong.

Multiplatform:
The Black Eyed Peas Experience (Kinect , Wii)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3)
Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer (Move, Wii)
Deepak Chopra’s Leela (Kinect, Wii)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3)
Get Up and Dance (Move, Wii)
Happy Feet Two: The Video Game (360, 3DS, DS, PS3, Wii)
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan (Move, Wii)
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (360, 3DS, DS, PS3, PSP, Wii)
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (360, PS3)
Nickelodeon Dance (Kinect, Wii)
Spongebob Surf and Skate Road Trip (DS, Kinect)
Winter Stars (Kinect, Move, Wii)

Microsoft:
Big League Sports (Kinect)
Let’s Cheer (Kinect)
Rabbids: Alive and Kicking (Kinect)
Self Defense (Kinect)
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 (Kinect)

Nintendo:
Bakugan: Rise of the Resistance (DS)
Cave Story (3DS)
Dagedar (DS)
Gem Smashers (3DS, Wii)
Heavy Fire: The Chosen Few (3DS)
Kore Gang (Wii)
Lalaloopsy (DS)
Michael Jackson The Experience (3DS)
Moshi Monsters Moshling Zoo (DS)
Outdoor Unleashed Africa (3DS)
Outdoor Unleashed Alaska (3DS)
Pac-Man Party 3D (3DS)
Puppies 3D (3DS)
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (DS, Wii)
Ultimate Card Games (DS)
Wappy Dog with Interactive Toy (DS)
[JAWS: Ultimate Predator (DS, Wii) has three separate release dates depending on source, one is this week]

Sony:
Cars 2 (PSP)

Sure it’s nothing “new” but how can you go wrong with Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. This is the series that is almost singlehandedly responsible for the stealth action genre. And now it’s all in glorious HD. This is the ultimate way to experience all of these Hideo Kojima masterpieces.

And do I even need to mention Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? Battlefield 3 launched the first salvo in this year’s FPS battle selling a crazy number of games. Will Activision meet those figures? Exceed them? I’m not sure which will be the “better” game, but I do predict CoD will be the better seller.

Family gamers (or me, with a crazy fascination for these games) will definitely want to pick up LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. I’m sure everyone is bored with me hyping LEGO games by now. But I’m not gonna stop until they stop being fun.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been long awaited. RPG fans are nuts for this series and this one looks amazing. Who doesn’t want to scream at dragons? And that’s actually one of the least cool things about this one.

Whew. As much as I love this time of year with all of its amazing game releases, I’m looking forward to January when writing this column becomes boring again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Press Release: 11/1/2011

VIZ MEDIA TO RELEASE ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETERNAL DIVA

Based On The Popular Nintendo Video Game, Tea-Loving Archaeologist And Polymath Sets Out To Solve His Toughest Puzzle Yet!

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, will release a new anime feature-length film, PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETRENAL DIVA, on DVD November 8^th. The movie is based on the highly popular PROFESSOR LAYTON series of video games for the Nintendo DS and will be suitable for All Ages. The DVD features both subtitled and dubbed English dialogue options, and will carry an MSRP of $19.97 U.S. / $19.98 CAN.

Professor Layton, a true English gentleman, renowned archaeologist, and the world’s greatest amateur super sleuth, embarks on his most daring adventure yet when he receives a letter from his old student, the famous opera diva Janice Quatlane. She is set to perform at the legendary Crown Petone Opera House and invites him to attend as her special guest. Meanwhile, a spate of disappearances hits London. Two young school girls are the latest victims and the Professor suspects it’s related to the mysterious occurrences at the theatre. The Professor and his loyal assistant Luke travel to the Opera House to solve their toughest puzzle yet, the mystery of Eternal Life!

“PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETERNAL DIVA combines plenty of action and mystery with intriguing puzzles and a healthy dose of fun English wit to make for an inviting whodunit sure to captivate a wide audience,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “The many puzzles that made the original Nintendo DS video game a hit are also present throughout the new feature film, and viewers are allowed time to formulate their own solutions to the riddles and brainteasers before Professor Layton provides the final answer. We invite new and established fans alike to join the fun as the Professor searches to solve the mysteries of Eternal Life hidden at the Crown Petone Opera House!”

The PROFESSOR LAYTON video game series is one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive titles. In addition to the popular movie, which was released in Japan in 2009, the property features five games developed by Level-5 for the Nintendo DS as well as two more game titles for the Nintendo 3DS. The games each feature various puzzles and mysteries that must be solved in order to advance to the next level.

For more information on PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETRENAL DIVA, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

News? What news? The real news is how many heads have exploded since Uncharted 3 was released at midnight. Unfortunately we don’t have a full count yet because the poor relatives who found the bodies noticed the game was still on and started playing it themselves – thus raising the count exponentially.

Actually, there is some news, so let’s get to it:

Fan reaction has been mixed after BioWare’s official confirmation of multiplayer in Mass Effect 3. Online fans are excited for the addition to a hugely popular series, while many longtime fans of the series lament the additional mode. I’ve gotten a few reports from the developer’s closed door press demo of the co-op mode and those are also mixed. The gameplay seems solid enough, but the combat has never been the focus of this series. That would be the story, and there just doesn’t seem to be any of that in co-op. At least not that we’ve seen. BioWare seems confident though. Not only are they committed to online co-op, they’re also planning DLC once enough feedback has been received. What that DLC will be isn’t known yet. Depending on what fans request, characters, classes, modes, races, weapons, etc., are all on the table. Based on the reactions I’ve seen so far, I’d guess Quarians will be added to the list fairly quickly. If you can’t wait until March 6th to experience the title yourself, watch for the demo in January.

I haven’t covered much on Asura’s Wrath, though I have seen a few videos and screens. To summarize, the player character is Asura, a sort of six-armed demi-god who gets more powerful with more anger. He’s on the war path against the gods after being framed for murdering his wife and the emperor. So… kind of a cross between Kratos and Hulk – which could only be more awesome if he had a lightsaber too. Oh, and the gods he’s fighting are massive. Really massive. As in one carries a sword that reaches from the earth to the moon. Regardless, this looks like it has potential, but it’s been a sleeper on the coverage circuit. I only mention it now because Capcom has announced an official release date of February 21, 2012. Hopefully we see a little more coverage of this one before that date. Something with this level of potential could easily fall under the radar without more and better press coverage, especially in the shadow of this year’s holiday season games.

Nothing to get excited over, but kind of an interesting stat in the FPS war this holiday season: EA’s Battlefield 3 has sold over 5 million copies in the first week since release. That’s actually not a bad number for the entire life of a game. I have no plans for this game or Activision’s Modern Warfare 3, but I have been watching the competition heating up between the two with morbid curiosity. Regardless, if you’re into game stats, EA has offered up a few based on the first week of online play. Despite some server issues, players have destroyed 67 million vehicles, revived others 48 million times, and pulled off 73 million savior kills. What does that actually mean? I don’t know, but they did a good job of making it sound impressive.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is definitely getting a Special Edition, and we’ve got the details. This edition will come with an Umbrella Security Services steelbook case, USS and and US Spec Ops embroidered patches, eight in-game bonus weapons, and new skins for each of your USS characters (Beltway, Bertha, Four-Eyes, Lupo, Spectre and Vector). Despite being heavily favored towards the USS team instead of the USSO, I actually kind of like this edition. Mostly because it’s only $10 more than the standard edition and it excludes the typical art book and making of DVD that I never use. Go ahead and upgrade your preorder now to have those bonus weapons as soon as it releases on March 23, 2012.

That’s it for the news (slow week so far), so I’ll leave you with just a reminder. Not that you need me to tell you, but the Nightwing DLC is out for Batman: Arkham City today. Pick it up from PSN or XBLA for $6.99 / 560 points. Based on the main campaign’s length, this seems to be good timing for some extra DLC.

Multi-platform:
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars (360, PC, PS3)
Cabela’s Adventure Camp (360, PS3, Wii)
Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai (360, PS3, Wii)
Family Game Night 4: The Game Show (360 Kinect, Ps3 Move, Wii)
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence (360, 3DS, DS, PS3, Wii)
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (360, PS3)
Hasbro Family Game Night Fun Pack (360, Wii)
Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine (360, PS3, Wii)
Lord of the Rings: War in the North (360, PC, PS3)
MotionSports: Adrenaline (360 Kinect, PS3 Move)
NASCAR: Unleashed (360, PS3, Wii)
NCIS (360, 3DS, PC, PS3, Wii)
Sonic Generations (360, PS3)

Microsoft:
Blackwater (360)
Otomedius Excellent (360)
Twister Mania (Kinect)

Nintendo:
Cars 2 (3DS)
Dora & Kai-Lan’s Pet Shelter (DS)
James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes (3DS)
Monopoly Collection (Wii)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (3DS)
Team Umizoomi (DS)
Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It (Wii)
Zoobles (DS)

Sony:
Fate/Extra (PSP)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

Seriously, seriously excited about Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. The first game in the series was very good, and the second just completely blew my concept of a sequel apart. I have incredibly high hopes for this title. This game is already being talked about next to Batman: Arkham City and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations as a game of the year contender.

I also find it hard not to recommend GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. But only because of my nostalgia. It has been upgraded to HD and looks good. But I have played a little of this and the gameplay hasn’t aged well. If you have fond memories of the game that brought multiplayer FPS deathmatch to consoles, you’ll still enjoy it. If you don’t know why us old farts think this is such a big deal, you probably still won’t understand.

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

On to the rest of the news:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s that time of year to renew your EA Sports subscriptions. It has been slowly increasing over the years, $30, $50, and now $60. Is FIFA12 worth the scrapes on your knees that you’ve gotten working to afford this game?

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