Activision has gotten a reputation over the years of playing a franchise to death and then leaving it in a shallow, unsatisfying grave. For example, “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” was a fantastic series through two or three games. After the Activision formula kicked in it took a nose dive and hadn’t had fun, original content through several titles and was finally put on hiatus after the terrible peripheral-based “Ride and Shred.” (An HD reboot/re-release came out digitally in 2012, but contained no new content.) Now, it’s coming back with an all new game according to Hawk and Activision. No further information was provided at this time, but could this be the renaissance of a series that’s taken a much needed break. If it’s successful, could we hope for a similar Phoenix story from other Activision franchises like “Guitar Hero?”
After being indefinitely delayed last month, “Basement Crawl” seems to have a new release date: TODAY! The “Bomberman”-inspired title from Bloober Team is coming to PS4 today for $10. It’s got a classic feel but with the modern convenience of eight player online matches.
How eager are you for more information about “Titanfall?” The beta is over and the game is releasing next month, so you wouldn’t expect too much to be available. What we have is a (grain of salt time) “leaked” achievement list. I’ve given it a quick scan and it appears to be spoiler-free, but read it at your own risk.
Kiefer Sutherland may have made a slip in an interview with IGN. He was talking about his voice work in “Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain,” when he mentioned that he “did Mortal Kombat, and that’s such a huge game, but it’s so not like” Kojima’s “MGSV.” Accidentally announcing himself as a voice in a game without confirmation from the developer is one thing. Announcing your involvement in a game that hasn’t even been announced is something else entirely.
If you follow only console gaming, you may not have heard about “Papers, Please.” It’s a morally perplexing title that’s taken the PC market emotionally unaware. Lucas Pope, the game’s creator, has indicated interest in porting the game to PS Vita. Porting to a handheld from PC has a number of challenges and Pope isn’t sure he wants to handle them. The possibility of letting someone else handle the port has come up, but he’s an admitted “control freak.” The possibility is out there, but it may or not happen. We’ll keep you advised if/as the story develops.
Did you miss out on any of the sleeper hits last year? Sony has you covered with the Back to 2013 Sale on PSN. As you’d expect, PS Plus members get the best discounts, but it’s high time you hit some of these up regardless. Chief among them are the season passes for “The Walking Dead Season Two” ($10.49) and “The Wolf Among Us” ($8.99). Other steals include “Super Motherload,” “Spelunky,” the Vita version of “Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time,” and more.
That looks like a wrap for this week’s early edition. I’ve got an inkling there’s going to be at least one more headline this week, so be sure to check out this week’s late edition on Friday.