We’ve got kind of a lot of late week pieces of video game news – and some movie news that fits the category. Game Developers Conference 2011 means lots of stuff is getting out. The really big news won’t hit until E3 though.
A teaser trailer was brought to GDC ’11 from Tecmo and Team Ninja. It’s currently being called the “Gaiden Project” but this is obviously Ninja Gaiden 3. It shows very little, just Ryu Hayabusa drenched in blood starting to remove his mask before the camera cuts away. It then promises more information at this year’s E3. Stay tuned I guess.
Serious Sam is seriously back in Serious Sam 3: BFE, a prequel coming to consoles (and presumably PC) this summer. I can’t say I’m excited but I know some of you must be. I’ve never been a fan of FPS and this character seems like a low-rent version of Duke Nukem. Still, Fork Parker of Devolver Digital is excited that the proceeds from the game means his “wife is totally getting the tit job she’s been asking for.” While I may not be a fan of FPS, I do enjoy tits. Just remember Fork, the guy that pays for them never gets to play with them.
Because movies based on video games are always glorious wonders of the cinematic arts that means we need to make more of them. Right? The latest casualty in the cross media blitz is Devil May Cry. Capcom’s highly successful demon-slaying franchise has been optioned by Screen Gems. Kyle Ward, writer of 3 Rounds, has been tapped for the script. Incidentally, Ward is also tied to a script for the 2013 Kane & Lynch film.
Going the opposite direction, Battle: Los Angeles (coming to theaters March 11th) will also be getting a game treatment. Obviously a full disc release being announced this late in the game would be insane. Instead, the first person shooter will be available on XBLA, PSN, and Steam around the same time as the film release. Even as downloadable title, I really hope they’ve put some time and effort into making a quality game, not just quality profit.
Good news for any UK readers, with “The Da Vinci Disappearance” coming to Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood as DLC next week, Ubisoft has announced a new SKU of the full game. Being called, simply, the Da Vinci Edition, it will include the main game and the DLC. It will not include the free Copernicus DLC for the PS3. If you don’t already own the game, might as well get this expanded edition. Unfortunately the announcement seems to apply only to the UK for now.
I’ve mentioned before how much I like the growing popularity of PSN/XBLA download titles. Zoo Entertainment is bringing arcade racing action to the consoles this summer with Fireburst. You’ll get 16 cars in four classes, each with a fire-based attack, across 14 tracks to play in single player, 4-player split screen or online multiplayer; all for only $10. If you need a cheap fix for your arcade racer addiction, this looks like it will get you through the summer.
Catherine has been making headlines in Asia as an upcoming “anxiety” game but we’ve heard little about it coming to North America. That has now changed and you can expect it stateside this summer. But what is it? That hasn’t been made very clear. According to Aram Jabbari, PR and Sales Manager for Atlus, “Catherine is an unprecedented exploration of the pleasures and horrors of love. As Vincent, a man recently succumbed to the irresistible beauty of the game’s titular diversion, players find themselves swept into a treacherous love triangle. Catherine’s core themes-those of free will, of the delicate nature of relationships and the choices we make within them, marry perfectly with the intense, terror-filled gameplay that serves to accurately reflect Vincent’s growing sense of anxiety. It is an experience wholly unlike any to come before it, and is certain to leave gamers talking and thinking about Vincent’s tribulations long after the credits have rolled.” How can I not be intrigued by this?
If you haven’t played inFamous, you missed one of the coolest games of 2009. If you aren’t excited for inFamous 2 you need to be slapped. Now there’s even more reason to get this game preordered, user-generated content! The game is latest in a string of PS3 exclusives, alongside Little Big Planet and ModNation Racers, to utilize this popular concept. After you’ve completed the main story you can build a platformer, mini games, race levels, stealth or boss missions, you name it. Build the perfect level and upload for others to play and rate. Get rated high enough and you’ll make Sucker Punch’s Featured Missions List. This news may have just moved inFamous 2 from my GameQ to my BuyQ.
Another open world franchise also has some news. THQ’s Saints Row: The Third has been officially announced. The third entry in the series sounds a bit different than the previous iterations. Rather than playing as a young tough on the make, the player is already the crime kingpin in Stillwater. This basically means no gofer missions like driving the important people around or delivering pizzas. It does make me wonder what kind of missions you will have that both fit the franchise and make you feel like the boss. I suppose I’ll be finding out when it releases “holiday 2011.” (Yeah right, expect a delay until next summer.)
Resistance 3‘s multiplayer has been throttled back from Fall of Man‘s 40-60 person matches. Instead the focus will be on the smaller 16 player deathmatch styles. There will also be a more fleshed out progression system with more unlockables earned for experience. Sounds like typical FPS multiplayer tools. Except I do like the concept of having Leapers explode out of your corpse to take revenge on your killer.
Speaking of corpses, time for the mandatory Mortal Kombat news. The demo will be available for Playstation Plus members on March 8th. PS3ers without a Plus membership can get it the following week on March 15th. No date has been announced for 360 but it probably won’t be long. The demo will feature playable characters Mileena, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Johnny Cage in the Living Forest and the Pit through the arcade ladder mode. One and two player modes will be available. Also announced for Mortal Kombat is a challenge tower with 300 steps. If you’ve been playing MK for a while you’re familiar with the “Test Your Might” challenges. This mode will expand on that, creating matches derived from an in-game “slot machine.”
RoboShinobi had huge praise for the recent Dead Island trailer that went viral. I wasn’t as into it, but it wasn’t bad. For those wanting to see more, I’ll close out today’s VGQH with some new screens:
