We’ve survived the first week of the new year. Going back to my day job after taking the last week off wasn’t easy. Especially that first day. The good news is that we’re starting get an updraft in gaming news as people are getting over the awesomeness of last fall and looking forward to the awesomeness that 2012 should be.
Crystal Dynamics, developer of the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Not content with Lara Croft’s latest outing, they plan to celebrate in style by revealing a new IP this year. Meagan Marie, Community Manager, says “2012 will prove to be a very exciting year for Crystal Dynamics, more so than any in recent memory.” She elaborated that beyond Tomb Raider the team will “also be hard at work preparing to reveal exciting new intellectual property to the world.” No details such as genre, platform, or expected release date were announced. But if their reboot efforts result in as much success as the early showings indicate, I’ll definitely be keeping a close watch on their new project.
PS Vita isn’t scheduled for release in the U.S. until next month, but it’s been out in Japan for a couple of weeks. Handheld gaming is much more of a force in Japan than in the west so the sales figures in that country will really impact the future of the device. First week sales in Japan reportedly moved 325,000 units. Not bad. Except the second week sales drop was much higher than expected, moving only 72,479. Third week sales continued drop, moving just over 42,000 units (totaling less than half a million since launch, and also behind the PSP for the week). In comparison, Nintendo’s 3DS moved 375,000 its first week, with a follow-up of 210,000. Those figures were ultimately considered a level of failure for Nintendo, making Vita’s prospects extremely murky. Nintendo cut the 3DS price by a third in response to their sales figures. Some retailers are already in panic mode, offering discounts up to 20% to move inventory on Vita. Further distressing the situation are the lackluster software sales. Only Hot Shots Golf (28) and Uncharted: Golden Abyss (29) broke the top 30 in game sales last week. Mario Kart 7 for 3DS was number one. I wouldn’t expect Sony to make any large scale price changes until after they launch in the west, but a discount like Nintendo’s could be in the early offing. If there were some assurance we’d see a respectable game library and the price of the proprietary memory is cut significantly I can still see the Vita having a good run. But right now, this ship might have sunk right out of port.
Preorder information has finally surfaced for my most anticipated game of 2012, Mass Effect 3. I’ve had this preordered for months and, lucky for me, I’ve got mine ordered at the retailer with the most benefit. According to Bioware’s announcement, ordering anywhere will net you the M55 Argus Rifle in-game weapon. This weapon is apparently deadly at any range and features “quick burst-fire to ensure ammo conservation and maximum accuracy on the battlefield.” In addition, ordering from Gamestop will also get you the N7 Valkyrie Rifle and N7 Defender Armor. The Valkyrie uses “two rounds per shot with deadly accuracy and stop[s] the opposition dead in their tracks with superior high caliber rounds.” The Defender Armor sounds like a great addition, as it improves shields and health, increases ammo capacity, and amplifies weapon damage. Of course, that makes me wonder if I’ll just be better using the full armor kit rather than customizing Betch Shepard piece by piece as I did in the second game. Either way, somehow my agonizing wait until March 6th just became a little more agonizing.
If you’re just getting into the Mass Effect series with the third game you may want to familiarize yourself with some of the characters. The newest addition, James Vega, is set to star in an issue of Mass Effect: Homeworlds, the mini series from Mac Walters (lead writer on the game) and Dark Horse comics. The series will focus on a different character in each issue. Expect the first issue digitally and in stores starting in April, about a month after the game ships.
I don’t know how many of you will remember the old Choplifter game from the 1980s, but Choplifter HD is being rebooted onto PSN and XBLA on January 10th. We’ve known about the game for a while but this is the first solid release date we’ve seen. The game is expected to be about $15 and this version adds 3D graphics, Duke Nukem, and zombies. Actually, those additions make it sound sort of generic, but will probably be bigger selling points than the retro nostalgia.
Speaking of release dates, Telltale and Warner Bros. have declared LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will be available this summer, though they haven’t set a firm date. While it’s keeping the Batman name, the second LEGO game in the DC Universe is expanding the roster to include the likes of Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor. The stars of the show will still be the Dynamic Duo as the game takes place throughout Gotham City. Having the world’s greatest detective call in his super friends to help his hometown will be a great addition. I may be a grown man with no children, but that doesn’t mean these LEGO games aren’t a blast. I’m currently working on years 5-7 in the Harry Potter version.
In other Bat-news, Gotham City Impostors has been delayed from the planned January 10th release until February. No details on the delay were offered, but with the recent beta testing completed it’s likely they’re just polishing a few minor issues and possibly adding some new content or rebalancing some weapons. All reports I’ve seen from the beta are very positive, with most of the players expressing disappointment they’ll need to wait until February to get back into the game.
It’s not often that video game news makes me feel old, but hearing that House of the Dead 3 and 4 are making an HD comeback via PSN with Move support did it. Why does that make me feel old? Because these games were originally released in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Most arcade games being re-released on PSN or XBLA are older classics that people remember playing in arcades as children or teenagers. I find it very disturbing that there is bankable market of people who are now nostalgic for the early 2000s. I thought arcades were already long dead by that point. My arcade nostalgia itch gets scratched by Galaga and Mortal Kombat. And air hockey, love that game. Regardless of my senior citizen status, House of the Dead 3 is coming on February 7th, with the fourth game to follow in th Spring.
If you want to get some zombie fighting action going sooner, mark off next week. That’s when Amy will be coming to PSN and XBLA. This one takes place in 2034 when global warming somehow leads to a zombie outbreak. Not sure how that works, but I can overlook the premise if the game is good. Expected price is $10-13.
When 2K Marin announced they were rebooting XCOM as a first person shooter there was a lot of outcry from fans. Those who played the original game on their old Amigas or PSOnes were extremely disappointed that the remake wouldn’t be the classic strategy game they remembered. Enter Firaxis Games and their take on the franchise with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This reimagining takes place in the near future (as opposed to the 1950s suburbia of the FPS) and brings many of the classic elements back, with a fresh coat of paint for modern gamers. This is the sort of move I’ve been waiting to see in the gaming industry. One IP is now going to offer a tactical FPS and a hardcore strategy title. Check out the February issue of Game Informer for more details.
If you’re a fan of trying out a demo before picking up a retail game then you’ve got a nice selection in the near future. The Official PlayStation Blogcast has announced a “buffet” of demos coming soon. The Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo has been confirmed for January 10th. Other demos on the horizon include Asura’s Wrath (featuring at least two levels shown at E3 and TGS), Grand Slam Tennis 2, Under Siege, and Wanted Corp. While it was announced via Sony channels, you can also expect demos on XBLA where applicable.
Square Enix has announced a Scarygirl game from TikGames, based on the graphic novel by Nathan Jurevicius. The action platformer will be coming to XBLA on January 18th, PSN on January 24th, and PC sometime in early 2012. According to the press release, “Scarygirl presents a wondrous adventure into a distinctive and beautifully bizarre world. The titular character Scarygirl is an abandoned child with a tentacle arm who dresses like a pirate, and is haunted by a strange man in her dreams. She sets out into the world to discover the meaning behind her bad dreams, but Scarygirl is hardly helpless, as she has a tentacle-powered arsenal up her sleeve.” Blister, a giant octopus, and Bunniguru, the kung-fu rabbit, will both be making the transition from the graphic novel to the game. The story is a separate chapter from both the graphic novel and the upcoming film. A key selling point for me will be the offline co-op, where one player takes control of Scarygirl while the other uses Bunniguru’s “Fists of Blurry,” allowing for special combo moves.
In closing, one of my unofficial predictions for 2012 was the announcement of next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony. I expect that whatever Microsoft is cooking will probably be out before the end of the year. I’m expecting Sony to release a little later, maybe Spring 2013. According to the executive chatter we could actually see both new devices looking to steal some thunder from Wii U as early as E3 in June. Are we ready for a new console? Has technology really come far enough since 360 and Ps3s release to warrant a whole new system? What should we expect from these two machines? Personally, I would count on a very large hard drive as I expect both companies would like to continue pushing digital download as their primary distribution channel. Developers and publishers would certainly like to see the download market grow as it limits their losses from used games. Does that mean they’ll leave the disc concept completely behind? I doubt it. I also don’t see either company introducing a new disc format either, not with blu-ray just hitting its full stride. I’d even expect the new XBox to include blu-ray. Which really just leaves us with the big question of cost. I would be shocked if the introductory price for the PS4 is anything less $700, and it’s probably more. Can I convince myself, or more importantly my wife, to pick one up at that price?