I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe Independence Day. I certainly had a good time, and came away with only minor injuries from being too old for hackey sack.
Since the announcement of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, one of the key talking points has been size. The map is apparently larger than Red Dead Redemption, San Andreas and the GTA IV maps combined. So how will our consoles handle something that large? With an 8GB mandatory install on PS3 and 360. That one’s going to take a while. If you’ve got one of those 4GB 360s, you’ll be able to use a 16GB flash drive for your install. Because of the blu-ray drive in your PS3, you’ll only need one disc. 360 owners, however, will be getting two. Don’t worry about swapping discs though. Apparently one of them won’t be needed after the giant install completes. The game is set for release September 17, 2013. With Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles releasing just a couple of months, many are wondering if a next-gen version will also be released; Rockstar hasn’t said anything on that front.
If you have an Ubisoft account, you probably got an email from them recently. Apparently much of their user data has been hacked. They don’t keep any payment data (debit or credit card numbers) in the user data, so none of your financials have been compromised. However, you should probably still change your password with them. For added security, any email or other accounts that share a username and password should probably be changed as well. The digital world isn’t always a nice place, be vigilant.
Major Nelson and Microsoft have come back around to his original announcement for Games for Gold. Nelson confirmed via Twitter that Assassin’s Creed II will be the next free game, starting July 16th. Yes, it’s a four year old game, and was (for a time at least and may still be) the most platinumed title on PS3. But there are a still a few of you out there that haven’t played it yet and probably quite a few more that want to play it again. If you haven’t ever picked this series up, this is a fine place to begin and end. The first game is not necessary to understand this one, and is also quite flawed in pacing and even some gameplay. Brotherhood and Revelation continue this story and make a few good additions, but never quite achieve the perfection of Ezio’s first adventure. Assassin’s Creed III is also good, but still doesn’t quite reach the same level of charm and enjoyability. Probably because Connor is kind of a weenie and Ezio is a rockstar.
Nine new skins have released for your Borderlands 2 Vault Hunters. It’s a little heavy on the Krieg (four skins), but everyone else gets one too. Each skin will run you $0.99. The new skins are Mechromancer Steampunk Slayer, Gunzerker Dapper Gent, Siren Glitter and Gore, Assassin Stinging Blade, Commando Haggard Hunter, Psycho Dark Psyche, Psycho Domination, Psycho Supremacy, and Psycho Madness.
The largest Halo 4 tournament ever is happening now. There’s a half a million dollars in prizes available, with the grand prize taking $200,000. It starts today at the Rooster Teeth Expo and will continue with online matches until July 15th. The finals will be in Seattle, WA on August 31st and September 1st. think you have what it takes? Get registered. Even if you don’t win, you’ll get a T-shirt for your avatar.
Despite a very popular showing at E3 2011, the PS3/Vita cross-play title Warrior’s Lair (originally revealed as Ruin) isn’t happening. According to a Sony spokesperson, “Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm that Warrior’s Lair for PS Vita is no longer in development. We apologize to those who pre-ordered the title and ask that they contact their retailer directly to cancel their pre-sale.” This was supposed to be a flagship for the handheld. Frankly, it could use a few more of those. They didn’t say why the project was canceled, but their statement seems pretty final. Bummer.
I’m not convinced that any Final Fantasy title needs even more cutscenes, but that’s exactly what’s happening with the Final Fantasy X/X-2 Hd Remix. This newly beautified edition, coming later this year, will have a new, 30 minute, ending credit sequence. The 30 minute drama is written by the original scenario scribe, Kazushige Nojima, and will feature all new voice acting. 30 minutes? After the game is over? Do they not ever have to go to the bathroom after they finish a game? Then again, it will feature cross-save on PS3 and Vita. I suppose you could always start the final battle on your handheld and then take a while on your “thinking” chair.
Microsoft announced last week that they are dropping the fees charged to developers for patching games. According to a few developers, those fees can run upwards for $40,000. The high cost of the patch is one of the reasons Phil Fish said he wouldn’t be patching Fez. Thanks to this change, Polytron Studios will now be doing just that. But, give him some time folks. The patch will take a few months to finish, but it is (at long last) coming.
The weekend deals for the XBox Live Ultimate Game Sale have arrived. These deals are good until Monday, July 8th:
- Bioshock Infinite – $39.99 (33% off)
- Tomb Raider – $19.99 (33% off)
- Gears of War Judgement – $29.99 (50% off)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengence – 29.99 (40% off)
- Hitman Absolution – $9.99 (67% off)
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown – $19.99 (50% off)
That’s all for the week. Enjoy your weekend.