So it’s not video game related, but since it’s today, happy birthday Mrs. Baldassbot. In gaming news:
An odd glitch in downloading the “Escalation” map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops from XBox Live has created a spate of rumors about the next possible pack. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but apparently a user tried to download the DLC when it wasn’t available in his region. After some to do he was able to access his install folder, where he saw files related to a “Retaliation” map pack. This might not mean anything. It could be a rejected name for “Escalation” or a localized name in another region. Or, it could be the next pack planned for the game. If it is the next map pack, Activision will probably be commenting on it soon. Say what you will about Activision (and I do, often), they’re one of the better companies about responding to leaks with a positive spin.
Whether the Black Ops information is correct or not, there is a “Retaliation” DLC coming for a different game. Crysis 2 will get a new map pack on May 18th (probably later for PSN). The pack will include four new maps: Park Avenue, Transit, Shipyard, and Compound. They haven’t announced a price yet, but $10 is likely.
Ubisoft dropped some big news last year at E3 when they announced a new Rayman downloadable game. They’ve now upped the ante, revealing that Rayman Origins has become a full retail release for this holiday season. While we know the game will feature four player local co-op, we’ll have to wait until E3 to get more details.
Sticking with Ubisoft for the moment, a few more details have come out about Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Playing as a 50 year old Ezio (who apparently doesn’t become a father until much later in life) in Constantinople, we’ll get access to a new weapon/tool. The hookblade can be used for riding ziplines, as well as Vaudeville caning enemies in closer for combat. Other new additions include 300 different, craftable bombs. Eagle Vision has also evolved into something very similar to Batman’s detective vision in Arkham Asylum, letting you see footprints and predict guards’ patrol paths. In addition to Ezio, players will also take their turns as Altair and Desmond. Multiplayer is returning, but unspecified changes are being made. I am definitely looking forward to more information about this one. With E3 next month we might even get a release date and a trailer.
It turns out your grandparents were right. Rock and Roll is the devil’s music. At least it is in the world of Candygun/Digital Reality’s upcoming downloadable game, Dead Block. The game (coming to XBLA, PSN, and PC later this year) takes place in 1950s America. Music is turning people into zombies. As Jack Foster (construction worker), Foxy Jones (traffic warden), and Mike Bacon (Boy Scout), players will have combat options as a last resort. Instead of fighting, the focus will be on defensive barriers and traps to save yourself from the shambling droolers. There will be a full single player campaign, as well as a slightly smaller, split-screen co-op mode with up to four players.
The PSN debacle has certainly left Sony with egg on their face, and it seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Rants and ravings aside, Sony has serious problems on their hands, and it seems much of it could have been preventable, being that the vulnerability had been known for years but was ignored because the PS3 was “unhackable.” In a phone conversation with Bloomberg, Sony’s Shigenori Yoshida stated the “plan to restart the services fully by May 31 is unchanged.” May 31st? The PlayStation Blog said May 3rd almost two weeks ago. To be fair, that date specified only some services, not all services. Still, the network has been down since April 20. The “Welcome Back” promotion Sony plans to offer is also not free from deserved criticism, but they have announced an expansion to it. In addition to the temporary Plus subscription already announced, users will get to download two games, of five being offered. While the games offered have yet to be announced, I fully expect to see a few people get upset that they already own all five. Which essentially would mean Sony is unintentionally burning some of their most loyal users. Clearly there is no way out of this for Sony that makes everyone happy. The benefit now is that they will no doubt have the most over the top, insanely strong e-security available in the future. And, despite the internet assurances that such a thing is impossible on XBox, have no doubt that Sony’s competition is also checking and upgrading their safeguards as well.
For a little bit lighter fare (with less fear of hacking or identity theft), you might be interested in the upcoming Manny Pacquiao game, Pound for Pound. Being released by Karkadann Games this summer for casual audiences on PC, Facebook, and iDevices, the game will take Manny far beyond the ring and into the realm of a martial arts beat ’em up. This clearly looks like something that just adds Pacquiao for marketability, when it really wants to be Double Dragon with Bruce Lee.
If you’ve been wanting to play the upcoming Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC, Square Enix has announced you don’t even have to go to the store. Both the standard and augmented versions will be available on Steam this August, with all of the benefits you’d expect from the online game service. They’re even running a pre-order special for a limited time ($44.99 or $53.99, respectively for the two editions). Too bad you can’t get into your Steam account right now because you’re at work and your net nanny blocks it.
Activision’s investor call for first quarter should bring a smile to a few people’s faces, especially fans of 007. During the call, Eris Hirshberg (CEO) stated “For the balance of the year, we plan to launch games based on the best-selling X-Men and Spider-Man franchises, James Bond and the toy phenomenon Bakugan as well as the latest release in the long-standing Cabela’s Hunting franchise, which we’re expanding this year to include new peripherals and an incredible Kinect experience.” [Emphasis added by me.] The Marvel stuff has been known and the Cabela’s game should have been at least expected if not announced. But the fate of the 007 franchise was up in the air following the lackluster Blood Stone and the subsequent problems a Bizarre Creations. Now it looks like he’ll be back sooner rather than later.
That seems to be it for the Tuesday edition. It doesn’t seem like anything truly groundbreaking, but hopefully you found something you like. Check back on Friday for the late edition of this week’s gaming news.