The planned headset adapter for the XBox One will not be ready at launch. Some reports are billing this as a delay, though I distinctly remember being told during its announcement that it would be released sometime after the console’s launch. What is more interesting is that it won’t just be required for current generation headsets, it will still be needed even for those that come later. Turtle Beach announced that they expect “to launch the XO Four and XO Seven headsets for the XBox One console in the first quarter of 2014,” in a recent press release. The same release states “TheXBox One Headset Adapter, being built by Microsoft and provided to Turtle Beach for inclusion with new gaming headsets, will not be available until early 2014.” This makes me wonder if Microsoft was so sold on Kinect as a chat device that they never intended any kind of headset interface. For what it’s worth, Sony’s PlayStation 4 will also support only the bundled headset at launch. However, Sony plans to address the issue with a later firmware update, rather than an extra hardware conversion.
I’m not sure how Media Molecule does it, but Littlebigplanet is still a thriving franchise despite not having a retail game release since their karting adventure, made by United Front, last November. The last game in the main console franchise was released in January 2011. Still, people love to customize their Sackperson and build new levels. The next expansion efficiently covers two holidays at once, something that hasn’t been done well since Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. Actually, that’s because the add-on is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. The Costume Pack (including Jack and Sally,) Level Kit, and Kart pack will all be available with today’s PSN Store update.
The final two assassins gunning for Batman have been revealed just in time for the Arkham Origins’ release this Friday. Killer Croc is returning to the franchise and Lady Shiva will be making her first appearance in the series. Though, technically, being a prequel, I can’t really say Killer Croc is returning and really everyone will be making their first appearances. These two will be joining the previously revealed Bane, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Copperhead, Firefly, and Electrocutioner as the eight assassins vying to kill the Batman and complete Black Mask’s contract.
Creative Assembly confirmed some time ago that they are working on “a AAA multi-platform title on current and future generation consoles set in the Alien universe.” That game is Alien: Isolation and it’s coming in 2014. Actually that’s still conjecture, but that title has been trademarked by Twentieth Century Fox for video game software and it’s pretty easy to connect those dots. Let’s call that an educated guess. The rest of this is rumor, though from fairly reliable sources. The game is reportedly a stealth-based first person shooter starring Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, and a lone xenomorph in a space station. According to these rumors, it is inspired by the first Alien movie. Which should make you a little nervous, as the same thing was said about Aliens: Colonial Marines, a game largely criticized for being terrible. Though the same rumor source says SEGA took criticism of the last game seriously and has delayed Isolation, and an E3 2013 reveal, to insure it’s in top form. We’ll bring you more when we get official confirmation.
This week’s addition to Sony’s Instant Game Collection on PS Plus is Hotline Miami. They’re billing at as a Vita game in the promotional artwork, but this splatter fest is actually cross-buy on Vita and PS3. Next week’s update will mark the end of Rayman Origins in the IGC, so pick it up this week if you haven’t yet. Also, if you have a Halloween gaming hole, fill it with the PS+ zombie sale this week. Seriously, if you haven’t played last year’s masterpiece The Walking Dead (not Survival Instinct, though that is on sale too) from Telltale, do it immediately for the ridiculously low price of $2.99 on the season pass; the “400 Days” add-on is only $2.44 more. The non-Plus price of $4.99 is still a steal. You can also get the Vita Season Pass, which includes “400 Days,” for only $9.79. Thank me later. The Last of Us ($35.99) is also included in this sale and is another must-play title if you’ve missed it so far. Next week’s update will follow through with a non-zombie horror sale.
That’s all for this week’s Video Game Quick Hits. There will be no late edition on Friday this week as I’m celebrating ten years of marriage with the lovely Mrs. Baldassbot, who is (thankfully) not bald. I am though. Which I noticed in my wedding pictures last night is really the biggest physical change I’ve undergone in the last ten years. Not that my hair was ever any good, but at least I had some.