Small update today, which usually translates into a bigger update on Friday. Hopefully there’s something here you’re happy to see.
I’m fairly certain the Mortal Kombat reboot has been in every issue of VGQH since it was announced and probably will stay that away until it releases on April 19th. It might even go on longer considering this week’s update about DLC. The first two DLC characters have been announced. Kenshi and his unlicensed red lightsaber will be joining the new crew as well as Scarlet, the fabled glitch character from Mortal Kombat II. Ed Boon teased both of these characters via Twitter back in January. In that same tweet he also mentioned Rain, Shinnok, and Robo-Smoke. It’s probably safe to assume those three characters also make an appearance eventually.
- Scorpion
- Liu Kang
- Kung Lao
- Sub-Zero
- Sindel
- Ermac
- Reptile
- Kitana
- Johnny Cage
- Jade
- Mileena
- Nightwolf
- Cyrax
- Noob Saibot
- Smoke
- Sektor
- Sonya
- Jax
- Kano
- Stryker
- Shang Tsung
- Baraka
- Kabal
- Raiden
- Sheeva
- Quan Chi
That’s actually a leaked screenshot, probably legitimate, showing the character select screen followed by their names in order, left to right and top to bottom, except for the two robot guys on the left and right sides at the bottom. Is that for random choosing, DLC, alternate costumes? I don’t know. Then again, the character model for Sub-Zero as the 1st player selected looks like a robot or Predator version. Maybe those bottom two are the cyborg ninjas?
Does anyone remember Katamari Damacy? The ball rolling mechanic and excellent music score made this series a hit for Sony several years ago. The last entry in the series was 2009’s Katamari Forever. If you’ve been wanting another one, you may be in luck. Namco Bandai has registered trademarks in Europe for Katamari Amore and Katamari Amore Rolling Whopper. Included in the registration were “Time Trip” and “Have a nice trip.” Speculate away, but this looks like game title and slogan stuff to me.
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Activision
- Call of Duty: Black Ops – Activision
- Wii Fit – Nintendo
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Activision
- Rock Band – MTV Games
- Wii Play – Nintendo
- Guitar Hero World Tour – Activision
- Wii Fit Plus – Nintendo
- Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Nintendo
Now what exactly is that list? It’s from a recent report from the NPD Group and lists the top ten money making titles of this console generation, including the publisher. I’m not really surprised by any of this, but there are some intriguing facts involved. GH3 actually ran about $100 for most consumers, whereas Black Ops was only $60. Considering the extra cost, the margin was actually very slim. In fact, most of those games either required or had the option to include, additional hardware (including everything from Nintendo). Also to be noted, MTV Games no longer exists, and the GH franchise is no more. On a related note, while Activision makes up half the list, it clearly comes from milking their beasts dry. How much further can they whore out Call of Duty before it becomes loose and tired? Please take a grain of salt with this list. This reflects only sales dollars generated, which doesn’t necessarily translate to copies sold or net profitability.
More evidence has been found to indicate Rockstar and Take Two are putting work into the next Grand Theft Auto. A casting call recently went out for voice actors on a Take Two project, and all of the characters have GTA personality. In particular, James Pedeaston, the man-boy love enthusiast from WCTR in GTA IV is apparently being recast. It’s certainly possible that dropping his name is a red herring, but that seems like a lot of effort to try hiding some other franchise.
Sony Santa Monica has posted a job listing for a Senior Online Programmer. Needing an online programmer is nothing special in today’s gaming job market, but it’s worth noting that the studio has built itself around the God of War franchise. I really don’t see any way to effectively build an online component around Kratos’ mythology, so I’m thinking Sony has either given the studio the reins on an existing property that needs multiplayer, or they’ve got a new IP. My hope is that it’s the next iteration of the Play. Create. Share. campaign.
The various preorder incentives for Red Faction: Armageddon have been announced. The Commando Pack from GameStop includes the Plasma Thrower and dual laser pistols as in-game weapons, and a code for free download of Red Faction: Battlegrounds. Going through Best Buy will get the Recon Pack, including the recon armor, as well as the Arc Welder and XNG-5000 weapons. If in-game weapons aren’t your thing, you may want a comic book and strategy guide instead. You’ll get those by pre-ordering at Wal-Mart. If you’re in the UK, you’ll probably want to use Play.com, as they get you both the Recon and Commando packs, but not the comic book. PlayStation Plus members who signed up in time can probably scratch GameStop off their list as they already get Battlegrounds for free anyway.