Let’s just jump straight out the gate with the update on what will surely be the biggest story in gaming news for 2011. There is no new information on the PSN outage, and currently no date scheduled for turning it back on. However, it does seem the previously reported date of May 31 may not be completely accurate. It is likely that some services will be available before that time, with the planned resurrection of ALL services to come by the end of May. The delay has sparked all kinds of rumors about just how broken PSN was before the hack even occurred. Despite gossip to the contrary, there is no reason to think Sony will just discontinue the service.
The outage hasn’t only affected online sales for Sony and its developers either. Many retailers that offer trade ins for consoles have noted a rise in PS3 stock. A few retailers have released their numbers and it appears the first weeks of May have seen an increase in traded PS3s of around 200% compared to the entire month of March. About half of those trades are asking for cash, while the other half seems to be switching to XBox. No formal research has been done on motivating factors, but the retailers did note (anecdotally) that most of the players switching consoles were also picking up copies of Black Ops or Modern Warfare 2. I guess it’s good that my gaming addiction is based mostly on single player games. The worst I’ve gotten of it is just that I want to download The Arrival for Mass Effect 2 and I can’t.
Sony is also suffering on the retail front because many multiplatform games have had their preorders switched to XBox in the last few weeks as well. These signs point to an urgent need for Sony to fix the problem before it snowballs any further. Five years ago I never would have expected the lack of online service to be so tragic. In a modern light, this actually has the potential to not only kill the console, but possibly the entire games department of Sony along with it.
Speaking of mismanaging companies, Atari‘s legendary disconnection between upper management and their developers may see some changes soon. That is, if Atari actually bothers to notice the recent strike by Eden Games. The developers of Test Drive Unlimited 2 recently had a one day strike, ostensibly with the intent of capturing the notice of Jim Wilson, Atari’s CEO. Patrice Beranger, a Development Engineer at Eden, seems to be the spokesperson for the strike. You can read his full post on the TDU2 forums. For an easy recap, his key points are: a) “communicate and interact with the CEO, Jim Wilson, who has never introduced himself to his employees,” b) “Have a constructive negotiation on the terms of the redundancy plan, and not one-sided as is the case now,” c) “be sure that an employee of Eden Games is compensated the same way as an employee of Atari,” and d) “have real visibility on the future of the studio after the restructuring, especially in giving us the financial records requested by our accountant.” This seems reasonable, though striking without a collective bargaining agreement is dangerous territory. If this were a political article, not a gaming one, I would explain further. I expect Atari will not react in the way Eden is hoping. I would actually expect Jim Wilson to give into the demands, after he cuts several key people loose, Patrice Beranger among them.
For possibly the first time I am excited about a Wii item in VGQH. After first meeting with great success on the SNES in 1995, Chrono Trigger (800 Wii points) is now coming to a whole new generation. The game has an impressive pedigree, coming from the creators of top series such as Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest. The time traveling mechanic and multiple endings were an awesome breakthrough in gaming at the time and the gameplay is still fun today. The game will hit the Virtual Console for 800 Wii points on May 16.
Over on the XBLA front, one of the upcoming pieces of DLC seen recently is the Rockstar Pass add-on for L.A. Noire. The add-on will run 800 points ($10) and will be available at the same time the game launches (likely come to PSN eventually). But what is it? No one seems to know at the moment. The most likely rumor is that it’s related to used game sales. These $10 online passes are becoming common for used or rented copies of games with a strong online component. But L.A. Noire isn’t a multiplayer game. Could this function like Mass Effect 2‘s Cerberus Network instead, providing additional content or access to pre-order incentives? Maybe it’s just a way to link to the Rockstar’s Social Network. I guess we’ll find out on May 17.
Speaking of L.A. Noire, I mentioned last week that a short story collection related to the game would be releasing on e-readers in June. If you’d like a preview of that collection, or just can’t wait until Tuesday to immerse yourself in the lore, two of the included stories are now available for free download directly from Rockstar. Duane Swierczynski’s Hell of an Affair “reveals the dizzying spiral of duplicity that drives L.A. Noire character William Shelton into a headlong collision with the wrong side of the law.” What’s in a Name?, from Jonathan Santlofer, is “a tale of murder and identity that is both heartbreaking and terrifying.” The download site also has an excerpt available from Megan Abbott’s The Girl, as well as descriptions for the remaining stories.
Another piece I’ve mentioned recently is the Honest Hearts DLC for Fallout: New Vegas. This may be a reason for me to be happy about the PSN outage. I really want to play it, but I’m so sick of the glitchy bullshit that is the PS3 version of this game that I’m glad for a reason not to spend the $10. Regardless, the add-on, which takes the Courier to Utah’s Zion National Park, is scheduled for release next week and the first screens have surfaced. I must say, I was hoping for something a little more gruesome in the Burned Man:
Are you looking forward to Mass Effect 3? If the answer is no, I’m guessing you haven’t played the series yet. Go do that now, then come back. Okay. Now that you’ve changed your answer to yes, you may want some more information about the upcoming end to the trilogy. Here you go:
- The twelve person squad from Mass Effect 2 was a little overwhelming. While all of the main characters from the series are returning in some form or another, the squad will be much smaller.
- The smaller squad means stronger interpsersonal relationships, particularly with Liara and Kaidan/Ashley.
- Character appearances have been redesigned by the original team. Their appearance will change throughout the game as armor and equipment is upgraded.
- Regardless of how you settled your relationship with Cerberus in the last game, they’re your enemy now. And, considering their troops now have all of Shepard’s capabilities, they’re not to be trifled with.
- Alien locations, like Tuchanka, are returning. You’ll also visit Palaven and Rannoch, the homeworlds of the Turians and Quarians, respectively.
- But, the main locations will be actual Earth cities. Notably, Seattle and Vancouver have merged into one giant city. You’ll see this area twice. Before the Reapers arrive, the layout is very much like the current version of Vancouver. When you go back after the invasion, things are… different.
- Areas of the game are taking the Unreal Engine to new heights, including a battle with a 600 foot reaper and a ship’s nuclear core blowing up in atmosphere while Shepard is in a ground battle.
- By now we’re all aware of the continuous storyline that changes based on the player’s decision in previous games. But what if this is your first time in the game? Don’t worry, there will be a story recapping “save game generator” for noobs. It probably won’t be in the same comic book style as the one used on PS3’s version of ME 2, but it will serve the same purpose. Do yourself a favor though. If you didn’t already take my advice, don’t count on the recap element. At least play the second game, and probably the first if you have the option.
Music fans will enjoy the preorder bonus for Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami’s upcoming Shadows of the Damned. The 12-song soundtrack from Akira Yamaoka (of Silent Hill fame) is being offered as a digital download for preorders from GameStop, Amazon, and the EA Store.
Great news for Alien fans. A new game based on the movie franchise is coming from Creative Assembly and SEGA. They’re just now hiring for the project so don’t lose focus yet. While we have no details, Mike Hayes of SEGA West is setting a high standard: “We want this to be a peer to the likes of Dead Space 2.”
So you’ve been playing the new Mortal Kombat and it’s been awesome, right? But it’s also been making you think about how great the first games were back in the day. Wouldn’t you love to be able to play the first three games again? And wouldn’t it be really great if all three came in one download package to PC, PSN (someday), and XBLA. Just to make the package all the sweeter, it should be about $10. If this is your thought process, consider Ed Boon your personal genie. “We are very excited to finally have the first three Mortal Kombat games available in one download package for long-time and new fans to play. With the release of our 2011 Mortal Kombat, and its return to 2D gameplay, players have been asking for these classic titles and we are happy to deliver them.” That’s right, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 will be available this summer as Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for the low, low price of $9.99. I’m pretty sure I spent more than $3.50 on each of these games the very first day I played them. And back then it didn’t include online play or trophies/achievements. Though leaderboards did exist in a somewhat different fashion (i.e. the dude that never paid when it was loser pays, winner stays). Welcome back, Friendship Fatality.
If you’ve been following VGQH for the last couple of weeks you know I’ve been getting excited about the return of Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution. Until now we’ve only had a few obscure screenshots and the possibly cryptic subtitle. Finally some details are being announced, although no game play information has been released yet. Keith Carradine will be voicing Blake Dexter, 47’s nemesis and the game’s villain. Agent 47’s handler, Diana Burnwood, has a new voice, Marsha Thomason. According to Tore Blystad, director, “We had actors like Marsha and Keith come in and do full-body acting with facial and voice being captured simultaneously in scenes. Some of these scenes were very complex with all kinds of props and interactions amongst the actors.” In addition, some recording sessions had up to seven actors in the booth at a time, indicating the game will have some complicated scenes.
Ubisoft recently mentioned that a restructuring forced them to cancel some games in development. Obviously this panicked the internet and started a spate of rumors about rampant cancellation of highly anticipated games. The company has clarified, with a spokesman stating the “terminated projects were unnannounced projects.” Don’t worry, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still happening, it just might take a while.
Before I get to my last topic I just want to drop a few dates. Starhawk, the sequel to Warhawk, has been officially announced for release in 2012. The Speedhunters DLC for Shift 2 will be available on May 17 for $10. Ubisoft has put Ghost Recon: Future Soldier back on the radar, declaring it will be available first quarter 2012.
NAMCO Bandai held a pretty big press event, LevelUp, in Dubai this week. Lots of news came out of it and I’ll do my best to give you the vitals here:
First, as shown above, Soul Calibur V has been announced. According to the press release, the game takes place 17 years after IV. New, old, and guest characters will all make an appearance. Having Link, Yoda, etc. in previous editions has been great fan service. While none of the new guest characters have been announced, it’s doubtful any of them will be as cool as Kratos in Mortal Kombat. The game is scheduled for sometime in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Tekken franchise is being juggled around quite a bit. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is already on its way to arcades. Tekken: Blood Vengeance is the full stereoscopic 3D film that’s coming this summer. The movie covers ground from Tekkens five and six and is completely unrelated to the dogshit live-action movie. But with all that work, where does the company lie with Tekken x Street Fighter, scheduled for next year? According to Katsuhiro Harada (Project Lead), they “haven’t really started on that yet.” I’m not sure how much of this will be using existing franchise assets, but don’t good games normally take years to develop? I am now officially wary of the quality of that game.
Dark Souls has been given a release window. It will release as a PS3 exclusive in Japan this September. The rest of the world will get it on PS3 and 360 in October. The European release will include a free upgrade to the limited edition for pre-orders. The limited edition includes the basics: a soundtrack, art book, and “making of” video.
NAMCO Bandai apparently likes that free upgrade concept for pre-orders because they’re doing it with Ace Combat: Assault Horizon as well. This edition will have a steel case, soundtrack, autographed note from the dev team, and DLC code for an exclusive jet. The game is set for release on October 11.
I thought the series died years ago, but Armored Core V is being scheduled for October release in Japan, with a 2012 follow-up for Europe and North America. The game has mechs beating the oil out of each other. Just like every other game in the series since 1865. The five of you that buy it can even break each others mechs online. Wheee.
And that’s it for this week’s late edition. Check back Tuesday for the weekend’s Quick Hits. Better check before you get started on L.A. Noire. I know you’ll be zombied into that game for a few weeks once it gets loaded into your system.