It’s been a while, but I’m back and it’s time to start cranking out the gaming news. I’ve missed writing these snap shots of what’s happening in the gaming world, but it was also kind of refreshing to be completely out of the loop for a couple of weeks. If anyone is interested, Ireland was awesome, but not very warm. Driving on the left side of the road is less awkward than you might think. Roundabouts, however, are stupid; especially twin roundabouts that you discover while desperately looking for a tire shop at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon. [Special thanks to Bowes Tyres in Portlaoise, Co. Laoise by the way.] Enough about my vacation though, time for some gaming news.
Eric Landin, voice of inFamous‘ Cole McGrath seems to have tweeted the cat out of the bag regarding four unannounced characters for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. He initially announced he was returning to the booth to reprise his role as McGrath for an unnamed project, which he later named as Battle Royale. He also name checked two other voice actors, Nolan North and David Hayter. The insinuation was that they would be reprising their roles as Uncharted‘s Nathan Drake and Metal Gear‘s Snake, respectively. All of this is unconfirmed so far by Sony, but all three would be reasonably expected in a game featuring PlayStation icons. Characters confirmed for the title so far ar PaRappa, Sweet Tooth, Kratos, Sly Cooper, Colonel Radec, and Fat Princess. Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Crash Bandicoot, and many others should also be expected. Who else do you want to see?
A few others have also confirmed they’re back in the recording booth for a little game you might recognize, Mass Effect 3. Lance Henriksen (Admiral Hackett), Tricia Helfer (EDI), and Raphael Sbarge (Kaiden Alenko) are all recording new lines for the extended cut, which is said to provide more closure for those fans upset by the ending. Hopefully this free release (date pending) will satisfy those fans. Oddly, more lines by Sbarge won’t mean much to either the Shepard I’ve already completed, or the one I’m playing now. Kaiden Alenko is dead for both characters. My third Shepard will definitely be happy to see him again though, once I get around to playing her story and rekindling their romance. [GameStop has Mass Effect 3 on sale for $29.99 this week if you haven’t bought it already.]
While we’re on the subject, more free DLC is coming for Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer. I still can’t shake the feeling that this was supposed to be a buyable add-on, but Bioware is too scared to charge for anything now. At least not until the extended cut is released. The Rebellion Pack will include the Vorcha soldier and sentinel, ex-Cerberus adept and vanguard, and male Quarian engineer and infiltrator. Two new maps, Firebase Jade (Sur’kesh) and Firebase Goddess (Thessia) will be included. If you’re getting bored with the mission objectives, waves 3, 6, and 10 will randomly include the new goal, retrieving a package and escorting it to the extraction zone. A permanent gear slot is also being added where you can apply enhancements picked up from reinforcement packs that don’t expire after one match. And, finally, what expansion would be complete without new weapons? The Cerberus Harrier, Krysae Sniper Rifle, and Reegar Carbine are being added. This expansion is set for release next week, on May 29th.
Valve and Overkill have confirmed they are collaborating on what they’re calling a “very cool blend of PAYDAY and Left 4 Dead.” Overkill’s PAYDAY: The Heist is a co-op shooter that has you and friends pulling off major bank robberies. It’s a fun game, but didn’t quite deliver to its full potential. Valve’s Left 4 Dead is a co-op zombie killer with rave reviews and legions of fans. The blend of the two could be something truly special. No further details have been released, such as whether the new game will take place in the existing worlds of the other two. Also not mentioned was where we would see release of the game. PAYDAY is a PSN/PC exclusive, while Left 4 Dead is exclusive to Microsoft. The easy prediction is that it will have mass releases on all major platforms, but they could go always WiiU exclusive just to mess with us.
A recent trailer for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 revealed upcoming DLC characters for the franchise’s long-awaited return. Michelle, Ancient Ogre, Angel, and Kunimitsu are all seen in the trailer. True to Katsuhiro Harada’s word, these characters will be free DLC. Those who preorder will get them immediately. Others will need to wait a little longer, when the characters are released to everyone, also at no charge. The game is scheduled for September 11, 2012.
Aliens: Colonial Marines has seemingly been in development for a century. Fans can’t wait to get their hands on the title, yet they’re going to need to wait a little longer. It’s recently been delayed again to February 12, 2013. Randy Pitchford of earbox has confirmed that this is a solid date and the end of development is close enough they can be confident the final product will arrive on time. He also further explained that the development cycle hasn’t actually been overly long, it just appears that way because of when the game was announced. He compared the timing as similar to the original Borderlands and Brothers in Arms. The difference is that those two games were announced well into development, whereas Aliens: Colonial Marines was announced to the public in an early concept stage because everyone was so excited.
Capcom’s Devil May Cry reboot has been locked in for January 15, 2013 according to a recent announcement. They also used the announcement to introduce Kat, a hooded medium that Dante encounters in Limbo City. Her psychic powers allow her to see into the Limbo realm, but not interact with it like Dante. Expect to see her as a physical presence in the “real” world and an apparition in the alternate realm.
The long-awaited announcement of Bungie‘s next game has finally come. Their follow-up to the genre-defining Halo series is called Destiny and is planned for 2013. It will be the first in a “sci-fi fantasy, action shooter” series. Based on rumors, job advertisements, and “reveals” from disgruntled ex-employees, the game is likely to be an MMO – “WoW in space.” Much of the planning for the series has already been made public because of the contract’s exposure in the ongoing lawsuit between Activision and Infinity Ward’s founders. The first game will be a timed XBox 360 exclusive, potentially releasing on PS3, PS4, “XBox 720,” and other consoles. Additional titles in the series will likely have synchronous releases, and are expected to release every other year until 2019. The years between releases are obligated to expansions, called “Comets” in the contract.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown has announced its release date and preorder bonus. The “Elite Soldier Pack” will add extra customization, giving you the “ultimate tools” for your troops. The game is set for October 9, 2012. On a related note, Take Two’s version of XCOM, as an FPS, has been revealed in a financial report for “Fiscal Year 2014.” That means we won’t see it until at least April 1, 2013 – with the window being open until March 31, 2014.
Babel Rising, a tower destruction (as opposed to defense) that looks properly unique and biblical has been given a release date. It’s set for PSN and XBLA on June 12th. If you’re unfamiliar with the biblical tale, the arrogant Babylonians attempted to build a tower to heaven (think World Five in Super Mario Bros. 3), only to invoke the wrath of God and be severely punished. In this version, you are God. As an all-powerful deity you’ll have plenty of tools (lightning, meteorites, floods, etc.) at your command to smash their puny tower. Oddly, co-op and competitive multiplayer will be featured. Clearly they aren’t going for a literal interpretation, as multiplayer breaks the first commandment. Regardless, looks fun, and I can’t wait to hear the religious boo-hooing as soon as it releases. [Yes, this is a big-boy version of the iPhone game.]
In light of legal wrangling between Motorola and Microsoft, International Trade Commission Judge David Shaw has recommended the XBox 360 be banned in the United States. Arse-bot has the full story. The quick version is that Shaw advised the ITC that, in his opinion, the 4GB and 250GB Slim versions of the console violate patents owned by Motorola. The patent claim (regarding the tech that decodes video) by Motorola has already resulted in the consoles being banned in Germany. The ITC will now review Judge Shaw’s decision. If they decide to uphold the decision, President Obama will have 60 days to overturn it.
Can you believe it’s really been 25 years since we first dropped a quarter into Street Fighter? Was I really only six years old when Ryu became the World Warrior by defeating Sagat? Apparently so. And, this September, you’ll be able to celebrate a quarter century of shoryukens with the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Pack. Strangely, the only notable entry in the extensive franchise that seems missing is the first game. You know, the one that’s 25 years old. The games included are Super SFII Turbo HD Remix, SFIII Third Strike Online Edition, Super SFIV Arcade Edition (w/ all costume DLC), and SF x Tekken (w/ all character and costume swap DLC). The games will be available for XBox 360 or PS3. But that’s not all you’ll get in this $150 set. It also includes two blu-ray discs of exclusive video: a documentary highlighting the franchise’s influence on fans over the years, the SFIV and Super SF IV Anime movies, all episodes of the SF animated series, and SFII: The Animated Movie (but not the Van Damme / Raul Julia action flick). Still not worth $150? What if they include an 11-Disc(!) soundtrack, hardcover art book, Ryu’s belt (full scale replica), 8″ light up Ryu statue (mid-shoryuken), and a certificate of authenticity? Probably still not worth the asking price if you’re not a hardcore Street Fighter fan. But, if you are, this is possibly the greatest single game collection ever released. It’s only confirmed for North America and limited quantities are expected. I’d recommend you get your pre-order in now.
Ubisoft Founder and CEO, Yves Guillemot, has revealed some of their plans for E3, announcing a major event for June 4th (the day before the official start). According to Guillemot, “This year’s E3 promises to be one of our biggest and best yet. We’re showcasing the strongest, most competitive collection of core titles we’ve had in years, innovative new games for new platforms and a broad lineup that has something for everyone.” Did you catch that? Read it again. Especially the “innovative new games for new platforms” part. What new platforms? Could he mean WiiU? Or does he mean new platforms that will be announced at E3? You know, the ones Sony and Microsoft are swearing up and down won’t be announced this year.
Yakuza Studios and SEGA have finally released some vital details about Yakuza 5. All five playable characters have been revealed: Kazuma Kiryu, Taiga Saejima, Shun Akiyama, Haruka and Tatsuo Shinada. Shinada is the only new addition to the franchise; he’s a former baseball player who’s been banned from the pros for gambling. The story will directly tie in to Yakuza 4 and will take place in at least five cities: Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. The game is currently about 70% finished (in a new engine) and appears to be on schedule for a December release.
Double Fine’s latest game, The Cave (from the mind of Ron Gilbert), is going to be released by SEGA. That’s an interesting publishing partner for the developer, but it also seems like a good fit. Expect some classic side-scrolling and platforming, combined with a few puzzles and a “nuclear-tipped ICBM.” It will certainly feature Double Fine’s regular staple of odd but endearing characters and is set for PSN and XBLA in early 2013.
Movies based on video games have a shaky history. The idea of a Shadow of the Colossus film has been batted around for years, but it’s a difficult concept to swallow. There’s very little dialogue between Wander and Agro – and one of them is a horse. There’s also not much in the way of other humans in the game, making for a difficult movie to present to a large audience. The only thing giving me a little faith is that sony recently gave the director’s job to Josh Trank, who actually went to Sony and asked for it. If you’re not familiar with Trank, he directed Chronicle recently. That was an easy film to overlook but you really shouldn’t have. Despite our friends at Big Movie Mouth-Off giving it positive reviews I didn’t actually see it until my flight back from Ireland. This was put together surprisingly well, with a fairly realistic portayal of what normal people would do with superpowers. Even in the shadow of Avengers Assemble (as they’re calling in Ireland), this was a good superhero flick. Whether that will translate to SotC is unclear, but I can think of plenty worse directors that could have gotten the job.
Update 1.6 is on its way to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s got a whole pile of bug fixes that may or may not actually fix things in the game (and possibly make things worse). But, it’s actually got one major revision: mounted combat. Both ranged and melee combat will be available from horseback, creating all sorts of new combat scenarios and potentially changing your entire strategy. A release date was not announced, but it looks to be very soon.
I know this a massive edition of VGQH. I wasn’t trying to compile 2 1/2 weeks of news, but I did want to get all of this week’s since I missed Tuesday. I was back home, but still too behind on everything to write a proper column. Things should be back to normal next week. Although I am still suffering from withdrawals. Why oh why can’t I get Bulmer’s Cider in Utah???