If you noticed yesterday that there was no In Stores This Week for video games it’s because I couldn’t bring myself to write it up for just one game. If you’re unaware of that game, Catherine was released today. Seriously, if you’ve heard about this game but haven’t been following it well enough to know it was coming today, it probably isn’t for you. You play as leading man Vincent, trying to decide his fate between the beautiful blonde (Catherine) he wakes up next to and his long time, possibly pregnant, brunette girlfriend (Katherine). Much of the gameplay is full of bizarre dream sequences where real people appear to be sheep. Ummm, yeah. I’m confused too, but it’s like watching a David Lynch movie. Who cares if it doesn’t make sense, I’ll be playing it anyway.
Anyway, on to the news. Considering Comic-Con happened over the weekend, there’s suprisingly little that didn’t get covered on Friday.
First of all, if you’ve been starving for Star Wars: The Old Republic, you can’t do better than Citizen-Bot’s hands-on time.
Bobby Kotick of Activision recently spoke to Forbes magazine about Innovation and what it means for the … Hero franchise. Kotick explained that there was no actual audience for DJ Hero, considering it’s pretty easy to become a DJ on your computer if that’s your thing. That’s why it failed. Guitar Hero, on the other hand, failed because it didn’t get appropriate “nourishment and care.” He did that to a video game? Never trust this guy with a puppy. If you’re a fan of Buzz Word Bingo, here’s some great calls for you:
“critically acclaimed”
“extraordinarily well-received game”
hiatus was “exactly the right decision” to “regain audience interest”
“deliver inspired innovation”
“use new studios and reinvent Guitar Hero“
I know, I know. all those quotes out of context is irresponsible journalism. But it’s Bobby Kotick spouting industry BS about why it’s okay that his company continues to kill successful IPs with over saturation. And he then continues by saying that he plans to resurrect and kill this franchise all over again. But, at least you can get your rumor mill started based on a few thins he said toward the end. After admitting that “people didn’t want more 80s heavy metal music” he explained what they did want. “The number one thing that our audiences wanted in Guitar Hero was Led Zeppelin. But we couldn’t get Led Zeppelin to consent to give us the rights. And there were a lot of instances of that, a whole host of artists who just didn’t want to give rights to Guitar Hero, and it was hard to get around that.” My theory? He killed the franchise, then found out he could sign Led Zeppelin and decided to bring it back for Guitar Hero: Led Zeppelin. Because fistfuls of cash for little to no effort just speaks to Bobby as an artist.
You may remember when Mortal Kombat launched back in April that there was a web series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy that started alongside it. The limited run (starring Tahmoh Penikett, Jeri Ryan, Darren Shahlavi, and Michael Jai White) is now over. If, like me, you watched thie first episode and decided to wait until it was all done so you could watch it in a straight run, now’s the time. The series was done through Machinima but they just link you straight to YouTube.
Are you looking forward to Dead Rising 2: Off the Record? Do you still have a Dead Rising 2 save game? If so, keep it. The save game will unlock a bonus for you in the new title. Sure it’s only Chuck Greene’s jacket. And that’s just one item of clothing in a game known for its variety of bizarre outfits. But free stuff is free stuff. Right? There’s also a free outfit available for pre-ordering from GameStop that includes some in-game bonuses. The Cosplay Warrior Outfit gives you special attacks and a 25% increase in Prestige Points per kill.
Resident Evil fans will be looking forward to a new date, September 15, 2011. No, that’s not the date a new game will be releasing. It’s actually the date of the Tokyo Game Show (TGS). A fan took a snapshot behind closed doors at Comic-Con that shows the Resident Evil 6 logo with the aforementioned date. Expectations are that the game will be officially revealed at this year’s TGS. What will they show? We’ll have to wait a few weeks to see what new changes are being made to the franchise that basically started the survival horror genre.
On a related note, you’ll be playing more Resident Evil soon after TGS on September 20th and 27th. That’s when the Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica HD remakes are available. You’ll have the option of digital download or retail disc on the same date.
Tekken fans have reason to be excited about the recent announcement of Tekken Hybrid – but only if they own a PS3. Thanks to the massive data size on Blu-Ray discs this offering is going to contain a lot. First, there’s the feature length CG movie (in 3D) – Tekken: Blood Vengeance. Also on disc will be Tekken Tag Tournament HD. This PS2 exclusive has been upgraded into full HD, complete with trophy support (yes, Tekken Bowl is included). Finally, the disc will also have a preview, of sorts, for a game currently only playable in Japanese arcades. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue will include designs and models on its four playable characters (Alisa, Devil, Ling, and a mystery character) that aren’t even available in the arcade version. Look for Tekken Hybrid this fall.
The biggest, and most surprising, addition to inFamous 2 over its predecessor was clearly the User-Generated Content. I’ve only recently picked up this game and have played a handful of the UGC missions. They have varying levels of quality and frustration that had me quit out of several of them. Maybe it’s because I’m still using a low level character and they’re designed for end game use. Either way, there’s a big update coming to the UGC with today’s PSN update. The free add-on opens up vehicles for missions and includes a handy new search feature to let you find the exact missions you want, including a search for missions created by specific PSN IDs. The vehicles available include Bertrand’s Limo and Semi-Truck, New Marais Police Car, Ambulance, and bicycle. Sucker Punch says this is only the first such update and that more are on the way.
That looks to be it for today. Check back Friday for this week’s late edition of VGQH where I give more highlights and less clicking to keep you up to date on all the gaming news.