Last week was a whirlwind. E3 had all the fun and flops you could imagine. It definitely left me with more questions than answers? How big will Mass Effect 3 actually be? Can Assassin’s Creed actually get better? Why the hell would Sony name their new toy Vita? Can you actually use a small TV to control a big one? And will Sony and Microsoft give up on motion gaming, or actually try to make it good?
We usually see a post-E3 lull in news as everyone re-watches the trailers and microscopes all of the screen shots. But sometimes news just happens, even without formal press conferences. So that’s mostly what today’s VGQH is going to contain. It might not all be sexy, but you’re probably a little chafed from last week anyway.
Three arrests were made in Spain last week in connection with the hacking of the PSN, a major bank, and the government systems for Algeria, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Iran, Libya, and New Zealand. Alicante, Almeria, and Barcelona were the sites of the arrests of three members of a “key cell” of Anonymous (names have not yet been released to the public). Yeah, that Anonymous. The ones that said they didn’t do it. These three allegedly can direct Anonymous activities. A server was also seized in Gijon, Spain, presumably as evidence. Clearly I’m not privy to the investigation procedure or the evidence in the case, but I’m really hoping they’ve got the right people and will hit them with all possible civil and criminal penalties. This was a high profile hacking. More than any other in my mind it has shown just how vulnerable we are to this type of criminal. A clear message of retribution by the criminal justice system could go a long way in the prevention of future attacks.
Unfortunately, the news hasn’t stopped the hacking community dead in its tracks. Codemasters (DiRT 3) website was also hacked late last week. The site was taken down immediately and they are rebuilding it from the ground up. As in Sony’s case though, too little too late. Some user information was compromised, including names, addresses, emails, passwords, IP addresses and XBox Live gamertags.
Bethesda also has fallen victim, with their community forums and stats site for Brink coming under attack. From the Bethesda Blog:
While no personal financial information or credit card data was obtained, the hackers may have gained access to some user names, email addresses, and/or passwords. As a precaution, we recommend that all our fans immediately change passwords on all our sites — including our community forums and the statistics site we maintain for Brink players. If your username/email address/password is similar to what you use on other sites, we recommend changing the password at those sites as well. As we don’t know what further plans the hackers may have, we suggest that you keep an eye out for suspicious emails and account activity.
Frankly, that’s enough free press about assholes. Let’s talk about games.
THQ has closed Kaos Studios. This is the studio that made Homefront, which sold 2.6 million units (over a million in the first week) and has a 70 on Metacritic. Seems like an odd time to close the division. This means the sequel (and a sequel is coming) will fall to THQ Montreal and Patrice Desilets, formerly of Ubisoft. That guy used to be the creative director of Assassin’s Creed. I’ll reserve judgment until I see results, but I doubt that will result in a 70 on Metacritic. I’ll say it goes to 90+, or bombs its way down to the 40s.
Wanna know how to make a geek smile? Here’s the equation: H.G. Wells + Patrick Stewart + XBLA or PSN = 2D sidescrolling War of the Worlds. Hell Yes! Stewart will be narrating the game, said to be inspired by Flashback and Out of This World. It will be published by Paramount and Other Interactive is developing. The game is scheduled for later this year.
Let’s pretend you haven’t already preordered Batman: Arkham City. Your friends are laughing at you, you feel depressed and don’t know why, and you’re convinced that there’s no need to order what is clearly going to be the greatest comic book game ever known. You are wrong. As if the sheer greatness of a follow up to the game that made Batman cooler than the combined efforts of Frank Miller and Christopher Nolan isn’t enough, Best Buy is even offering you a bonus. Apparently it’s not enough to play as the Caped Crusader and Catwoman! They want you to buy from them so you can play as Robin on two extra challenge maps. But, if Best Buy isn’t your thing, I understand. You could also order from GameStop for the Joker’s Carnival Challenge Map or from Amazon for an exclusive comic book. But those don’t come with an additional playable character. The game is coming October 18th, but you can get your orders in now.
Speaking of Amazon, that’s where I found the details on the Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition. This special set will include a metal case with Commander Shepard art, the soundtrack, a hardcover art book, a 4×6 one-of-a-kind lithographic print, a Dark Horse comic, fabric N7 patch, and in-game content. The DLC is practically worth the extra $20 alone, since you’ll get an extra appearance pack, mission, companion character, robotic dog, and four additional weapons. If this is anyhting like Mass Effect 2, those downloadable weapons are priceless on insanity difficulty. Oh yeah, I want that patch!
In other preorder news, DICE has caused a fanboy ruckus with their incentives for Battlefield 3. Preorders can get an extra map pack and some additional weapons that are usable in multiplayer. And that’s where the whining comes in. Some gamers are concerned they will be at a distinct disadvantage without those weapons. While the weapon pack has only been confirmed in the UK so far, DICE has stated that it will be available in other parts of the world as they finalize arrangements. They’ve also tried to mollify the whiners by explaining that these weapons are simply more varied, not more powerful. It could contribute to their fun, but not to their power. Also, the map pack will be available as paid DLC the same day it goes live for preorder codes.
One final bit on the preorder front, it’s time to put down your Dead Island deposits at GameStop. Your preorder will get you the Bloodbath Arena DLC and a blueprint for “The Ripper” for free. The DLC will be available from your online service as well ($10 / 800 MS Points). “The Ripper” is an in-game weapon utilizing a baseball bat and a buzz saw blade, sounds like a toy for the S&M crowd. Once you have the blueprint you’ll be able to share it with your friends.
That does it for the early edition this week. It’s not as exciting as E3 week but I do see a few rumors I’m hoping to confirm for Friday’s edition. It’s too early to tell right now how they’ll shape up and I don’t want to report it completely wrong.