So yesterday was my birthday and I didn’t get any game-related gifts. What’s up with that? I suppose it has everything to do with being an adult now and only my wife, who gets bored of my constant gaming, actually gives me presents. Oh well. I still have plenty of games to play anyway. Not to mention my new mp3 player from the wife is pretty spectacular. On to the news!
As we’ve all seen, November was chock full of top tier game releases. And many sold incredibly well. Is that a sign of an improving economy, or the number of people willing to spend $60 to escape its grimness? Regardless, I’ve reported some of the high numbers for the FPS contenders, but they aren’t the only ones doing well. Sony recently announced their figures for Uncharted 3, and it certainly sold a few copies, 3.8 million on day one alone. Considering how slowly sales started for the series, it’s nice to see Drake finally hitting stride and selling over 13 million units in the franchise to date. That doesn’t sound as impressive as Modern Warfare 3‘s numbers, but keep in mind it’s a console exclusive. This actually says a lot for the industry as a whole. Two FPS series targeting the same audience both sold like gangbusters, one of them setting the all time entertainment sales record for a three day period. At the same time, the concluding tale of an Italian Assassin, an open-world fantasy epic, the Indiana Jones of the 21st century, and a 72 year old playboy that beats up clowns while dressed as a flying rodent all managed to sell enough units to go multi-platinum. That is, they would be multi-platinum, if the gaming industry based their self-proclaimed accolades on the same archaic formula the music industry uses. What does this say about gaming? Does this indicate a growth in the popularity of gaming and an increased number of gamers? Or is it just that the same gamers now have more disposable income? Maybe it’s completely insignificant. But as someone who follows the industry, I think it’s exciting.
Despite being a slow week so far, it’s safe to assume next Tuesday’s edition of VGQH will bea little more upbeat. That’s because the VGAs will be airing on Spike this Saturday. The Video Game Awards are gaming’s equivalent of the Oscars. There are more neck beards, but less digital effects (hah). Actualy it’s a generally boring ramble through all the games we already know are awesome. Far from caring which advertiser bought an award for which game, I’m much more interested in all the announcements we’ve been promised. The most recent is a “fresh and new experience” from Epic Games, the crew behind Gears of War 3 and Bulletstorm. I’m intrigued. But I’m honestly just expecting Bulletstorm 2.
If you’re more interested in what you can do today, rather than watch on Saturday, you may like what you find in today’s update on the PSN Store. Resistance 3 will have new DLC today. The “Brutality” expansion includes a new game mode (which sounds like Horde in a revamped Wales map), a new weapon (sledgehammer – quick, dirty, and efficient), and music from Mastodon. In-game music as DLC? Strange for anything besides Rock Band, but why not? Five tracks from their new album, The Hunter, and two instrumentals from Blood Mountain will be included. The expansion will be $3.99.
I’m having a hard time following all the leads and “sources” on this own so we may as well just keep it filed under rumor. Anyway, one of the first characters announced for Final Fantasy XIII-2 was Sazh. He’s the hip guy with the afro and a pet chocobo. You might also remember him as the guy whose jacket might make Captain Jack jealous. The latest rumor is that he’s actually far less important of a character than Square Enix initially would have had us believe. Turns out, he could be going the way of Catwoman and being playable only as DLC. Whether he’ll be paid DLC, or a new copy incentive like Batman’s feline frenemy, is still unclear. Which is to be expected, considering this is still just rumor. My prediction? Sazh will be an in-game NPC with missions for your heroic band. At some point, if you’ve obtained the DLC, you may be able to recruit him. We should have more information very soon, as the game will be releasing in Japan on December 15th. North American and European players will need to wait until January 31st and February 3rd, respectively.
Speaking of DLC, Saints’ Row: The Third hasn’t shown you all of its content yet. The “Z Style” pack will give you Zimo’s pimp threads and his Bling Shotgun. The “Explosive Combo” pack is aptly named. That gets you the Future Soldier outfit and the M2 Grenade Launcher. Both packs are expected to be available today for $1.99 each.
That ends the news for this week’s early edition check back Friday for more news from throughout the week. Also, check out this previews ad for December’s Playstation Plus updates. You’ve seen plenty of articles from the ‘bots here about how awesome Marvel Pinball is, now it’s free for subscribers. If you’ve already got a Plus subscription, GET THIS GAME! If not, get it anyway. Or subscribe to PS+. I was a doubter at first, but I’m enjoying all the free “minis.” [By the way, Thor, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and X-Men tables are coming to Marvel Pinball as part of the “Vengeance and Virtue” pack on December 13th.]
By the way, I’m getting a little bored of the ugly children that serve as VGQH’s post pic. I’m thinking of changing the pic for the new year. If you have anything you think would be appropriate post a link in the comments. You can also email pics to &&balda$$bat&& at Yahoo! Remember to take out the ampersands and the dollar signs are actually the letter “s” – just trying to prevent a little spam. If I pick one you sent you’ll get credit in the first article that uses it, and I’ll see if I’ve got something cool I can send as a thank you but no promises.