We’re going to start today’s edition of VGQH with a few games I thought extinct. But it seems they’re a getting a rebirth. The first one probably still won’t receive much fanfare. But the others might actually make a few dollars for their respective companies.
Here’s a game I never understood and thought had died a decade ago, Bejeweled 3 will be coming to Nintendo DS, PSN, and XBox Live this holiday season. Why?
On a related note, EA appears to be prepping a deal worth over $1billion to buy PopCap Games (Bejeweled, Zuma, Peggle). Zynga also is looking into purchasing the casual game developer, but likely doesn’t have the financial clout to compete with Electronic Arts. We’ll follow up with this story as it comes out.
Yet another franchise that many consider dead is Sonic the Hedgehog. Who knew that 20 years for a blue hedgehog is considered past their prime? Regardless of his new stuff, there are still plenty of fans of this character’s older games. And SEGA is celebrating that with the 20th Anniversary Sale on PSN and XBox. The sale started earlier this week. Some titles, like Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be going for up to 50% off. There’s also a $20 bundle that’ll get you the first and second Genesis games, Sonic 4:1, and Sonic Adventures (with added DX content). That’s about $40 worth of content at regular price. If you like overclocking miscolored mammals, it’s a deal you should grab.
If that’s somehow not enough Sonic for you, there’s also a demo of Sonic Generations available on PSN and Live . The demo features an updated version of the classic Green Hill Zone. The game is set for November 2011. [I’ve downloaded this, but haven’t actually played it yet.] Both the sale and the demo are available for only 20 days.
Next up is Aero-Cross, a remake of Metro-Cross from 1985. The upgraded version of the arcade classic is coming to XBox and PSN later this year. If you aren’t old enough to remember this game (as one of the oldest ‘bots here I still only vaguely recall the cabinet but not the game), it’s basically the future of footracing. In The Future, obstacles, hoverboards, drafting, and many other upgrades have made running an entertaining past time once again. This will be the third game released under the Namco Bandai Generations label. The previous two were Pac-Man Championship Edition DX and Galaga Legions DX.
While Fallout: New Vegas isn’t a retro game, its titles and themes tend to have a retro feel. “Dead Money” was a post-apocalyptic Ocean’s Eleven in a haunted casino. “Honest Hearts” took you to the wastelands of Zion National Park. The next chapter, “Old World Blues,” will take you to the Big Empty where you become a lab rat and learn the origins of some of the mutated creatures in the Mojave Wastes. Bethesda has just announced the DLC will be released on July 19th for $9.99. Just before the release will be a much-needed stability patch. The final chapter, “Lonesome Road,” is still set for August.
If you love comic books and video games then you’ve got to love the new trend of comics that provide an intro lead up to the newest games. The comics for Arkham Asylum have already started and this week also saw the start of the three part Rage mini-series from Dark Horse. Rex Mundi creator Arvid Nelson is writing the book under the supervision of the game’s creative director, Tim Willits. You can see a sample of Andrea Mutti’s pencils below. Bethesda Softowrks is releasing the game in October.
In other Bethesda news, they have announced the pre-order incentive for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s a map. A map? Like a CoD downloadable map pack for multiplayer? But there’s no multiplayer in Skryrim. Exactly. If you’ve followed the series for the last couple of outings you know what I’m talking about. It’s not a DLC map for a game that has no use for one. It’s an actual physical map that shows the terrain of the game, complete with a compass rose. It’s a mighty fine looking piece as well. Honestly, this probably isn’t going to encourage anyone on the fence to buy the game. But if you already want it, this is a pretty badass collectible.
Worst vague-but-clearly-promising quote of the week goes to James Mielke, producer for Child of Eden. The game recently launched for 360 and he decided to hype the delay for a PS3 release by saying “There’s nothing I can really say about it, except that it will definitely be worth the couple months that people have to wait for the PS3 version to get finished. People with PS3s, people with nice TVs, people with all kinds of control options…it’s going to be really cool.” Translation: “It will take until September to get the game ready because we’re adding a bunch of shit no one wants. It’ll be in 3D and have Move support, even though no one will actually use it.” Dumbass.
In other dumbass news, the hackers are still being pesky and worthless. Bioware was the latest hit, but nothing valuable was taken. Someone hacked the Neverwinter Nights forum. Talk about your high value targets. A few birthdays and passwords were taken, but not credit cards, SSNs or anything actually useful to a thief. It seems the bar has really been lowered for hackers. The obnoxious mouth breathers will hack anything game related as long as they don’t have to leave their mother’s basement. Congratulations hackers, you’ve now made it to the level of “no one gives a shit” headlines. Get a life.
With E3 now in the bag, rumors are starting for what will be announced in August at Gamescom. This is sort of the European equivalent of E3 and takes place in Cologne, Germany. The latest rumor is Sony may be announcing a price cut on the PS3 to £179.99 (about $250USD). Most major retailers in the US have been offering $50 gift cards with PS3 purchases for the last several months, which usually indicates a forthcoming price drop. This also coincides with a recent drop in price for Wii and rumors of a newly-designed, (comparatively) energy-efficient PS3. As is normal for Sony, their only comment is that they have no comment on rumors.
What started out as a dead game revival article certainly turned out to be a shotgun blast of random information. That’s all for today’s VGQH. Check back on Tuesday for a round up of the weekend’s information. I’ll be spending most of my weekend drinking heavily (there’s a surprise) and testing out my pile of recent PSN purchases. And don’t forget, if you’re in the Salt Lake valley (and over 21), Geek Show Podcast is hosting free movie night at Brewvies on Sunday. This month they’re showing a Star Trek double header. BSR!’s very own Jerk-bot will be hosting and you’ll probably see a few other familiar ‘bots and geeks as well.