Happy Friday the Thirteenth everyone! Is that even a thing anymore? Are people still suspicious about it? Were they ever suspicious about it, or was that just me being a kid? Regardless, there’s news to be read:
SEGA has finally announced a release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. It’ll be coming to PSN / XBLA on May 15th / 16th for $14.99 / 1200 points. Good news if you already own Episode I, you’ll be getting an extra mode, Episode Metal Lock-On. Just ignore the stupid name, this is SEGA after all. It’s an unlockable chapter (four acts) that you play as Metal Sonic and bridge the story gap between Sonic CD and Sonic 4. Yes, the idea of “story” in Sonic games is kind of ludicrous, but you will learn more about Metal Sonic’s origins.
So you have your PlayStation Vita. You’re planning to pick up Street Fighter x Tekken this Fall. But all of your friends are playing it on PS3. Sucks right? Not to worry. You can still fight each other. Capcom is definitely embracing the PS Vita in a way rarely seen by a third party. Not only will PS3 and Vita have cross-platform play, but buying the Vita version will unlock the additional 12 fighters on your PS3 for free using a saved data link. Considering Capcom has already made the Vita a functional controller for the PS3 version of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I’d expect to see similar functionality with this title as well. If you are playing against friends on the Vita, you’ll be able to go online via Wi-Fi or locally with 3G. Kudos to Capcom for pushing the envelope with the handheld’s many functions instead of shoehorning touch screen controls and calling it a day. If other third parties put in this much effort the Vita could very well be an integral part of this next generation of gaming.
With Capcom’s annual Captivate event happening earlier in the week, you’d think there would be a whole lot more news from them. Unfortunately, their event this year was a bit lackluster, just showing off some trailers and screen shots from upcoming titles. There are two impoprtant bits though. Resident Evil 6 has bucked video game convention and had its released date moved up instead of delayed. Rather than face the stiff competition of November in a heads up battle, the title has been moved to October 2nd. And really, isn’t October a better month for zombies anyway? In a conversation about the game, Eiichiro Sasaki (Director) stated “In terms of length, each character’s story is a little bit less than RE5 but when you combine them together you’re getting something that is much longer. While each character’s story stands alone, all of the characters wind up in the same area of the game, in China, so there is a certain level of overlap. They stand on their own but they do overlap in certain areas. You don’t have to play them all, of course.” He’s referring Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Wesker, Jr., the three playable characters in the game. All told then, it looks like you should be spending about 30 hours on this one. But how much money are you willing to spend on it? The standard version should the standard $60, while the special edition looks to be running about $1,300! It’s a pretty unique version though, with four cases (one for each character and a mysterious fourth) and real-life replica of Leon’s leather jacket. It’s a sweet jacket, but I don’t see myself spending $1,300 on it, even if it does come with a game.
Even if you don’t want a ridiculously expensive version, preordering the game will be a good idea if you’re looking forward to the Mercenary mode in multiplayer. GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy will each be featuring a bonus map when you order from them – The Catacombs, High Seas Fortress, and Rail Yard, respectively.
The other notable Captivate announcement was the reveal of Lost Planet 3. It’s being developed by Spark Unlimited (Legendary, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty) and is set for release in 2013.
Crysis 3 is coming. That should go without saying. Which is why I’m a little confused that EA and Crytek aren’t saying anything. Instead we’re forced to rely on internet posting errors to confirm what we all know to be true. This time, instead of Amazon or some obscure European retailer accidentally putting the game up to soon, it’s EA themselves. The Crysis 3 Limited Edition was briefly seen on EA’s Origin service for XBox 360, PC, and Digital Download. A PS3 release is presumed, but was not actually seen on the listing. With a leak of this magnitude, I’d expect a full announcement next week.
Based on the popularity of the TV show and books I imagine many of you are eagerly awaiting the upcoming Game of Thrones RPG. Sorry, but it looks like you’ll be waiting just a little longer. The game has been pushed back about a month and is now set for release in early June.
As you’d expect, Hitman: Absolution has a special edition announced. The Professional Edition is fairly standard as these things go. It will come in a slightly nicer cover, include a hardbound art book, a making of DVD, and some DLC weapons. The weapons included are the Agency Jagd P22G (silenced pistol), Agency HX UMP SMG, and Agency SPS 12 semi-automatic shotgun. I didn’t see a price announced, but this just screams $70 instead of the regular $60. The standard and Professional editions are both scheduled for later this year.
You know the fighting renaissance is in full swing when you finally get an announcement for a sequel to a game that launched with the PS2. Namco Bandai has confirmed that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will be coming to PS3 and 360 this September. The game is expected to feature at least 50 fighters! In addition to the tag team fights, expect solo battles and one-vs-two match-ups.
Atlus introduced some interesting “multiplayer” concepts to the gaming world with Demon’s Souls – many of which were improved in its spiritual successor, Dark Souls. Unfortunately, the hidden catch of online games is that servers can’t be maintained forever with no profit motive. According to Atlus, they’ve maintained the servers for the game long past the time when they could expect additional sales to benefit. As such, they are shutting the game’s multiplayer down on May 31st in North America. They will be running two World Tendency promotions (May 1-15, May 16-31) immediately prior to the shutdown. They’re also encouraging players to sign in one last time on May 31st “before saying goodbye.” I’m sure it will be a little sad for players who’ve enjoyed these features over the last few years, but it also raises again the questions we’ve seen this entire generation. Do modern games, with their heavy multiplayer components, have the sort of longevity of their earlier counterparts? I still go back to my SNES on a regular basis for my fix of JRPGs and Super Mario All-Stars. Will I be able to say the same thing about my PS3 in 20 years?
Sony has released a tease for an announcement next Thursday with a simple image:
So what’s it going to be? Obviously we have to wait until next week. But, if it’s a Sony exclusive focusing on vengeance and redemption it’s a pretty short list. Another inFAMOUS is a possibility, but does that banner look like something from Cole’s world? For my money, I’d expect Kratos and an announcement for God of War IV.
With EA rebooting the SSX franchise last month current gamers finally have an extreme snowboarding title again. The new additions are interesting and the death defying runs down the Earth’s most awesome mountains is certainly a rush. Unfortunately, for many of us it just didn’t scratch that itch we’ve had for snowboarding lunacy since we first played SSX Tricky so many years ago. What could they possibly do to fix that? Oh yeah, this is EA, and we have online stores. Enter the puzzle pieces the SSX community have been receiving in their email boxes recently. The puzzle is not yet complete, but there are enough clues for the eagle eyed Tricky addicts to tell you this is probably a DLC announcement that will take the game that much farther over the top in terms of physics-breaking maneuvers. If this really is a Tricky addition, and it makes it so I quit falling down all those holes, I might be ready to call this the best one in the franchise.
The next legacy game to be re-released onto PS3/PSP via PSN is Legend of Dragoon. This JRPG from 2000 is one of the most beloved of the PSOne era. As soon as classic games started releasing on PSN this one was at the top of many fan lists and it’s finally. Look for the game with the May 1st store update. No price is announced yet but I’d expect it at the higher end of the $6-10 spectrum for PSOne Classics.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has apparently not taken over your life enough yet. A free update to the game is set for later this month that will add the long-awaited Kinect compatibility. Over 200 commands can be handled by voice, including the dragon shouts as well as hotkeys and menu commands. But that’s not all. According to a Bethesdsa press release, “Bethesda Game Studios has been hard at work on creating the first set of game add-ons that will be exclusive to the Xbox 360…. This additional content will add new quests, locations, features, and much more to the world of Skyrim…. Stay tuned, we hope to officially announce what it is soon.” Early indication is that the “exclusive to XBox 360” part is actually a timed exclusive, meaning the contect will be available for PC and PS3 at a later date. We’ll need to wait for confirmation from Bethesda to be certain.
Looks like that’s it for this week. Check back on Tuesday for all the news drops from the weekend.