Welcome to this week’s late edition of VGQH. E3 isn’t so long ago. Comic-Con just happened. And next week is Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. What that means is that there isn’t much newsworthy content being released outside of those big shows. Which corresponds to the dearth of retail content being released as well. So we should be pretty short and sweet today.
One of the things you can see at Gamescom next week is Strike Suit Zero for PC and PSN. Made by Doublesix Games, the team that made Burn Zombie Burn!, their latest title puts you in command of a Strike Suit *cough* Transformer *cough* as you fight to save the earth in what could be her final hours. The game is currently scheduled for “early 2012.”
I’m not sure what to make of all the strange press coming about Team Bondi, the developers of LA Noire. It all started with some employees making brutal accusations about the work practices of Brendan McNamara. Alongside all of that came stories about the difficulties they had working with Rockstar to publish the game. More recently there was mention of them possibly merging with a film studio in Australia. It now appears that same film studio, Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM), is really more interested in their IP and assets, not the company. And, in the face of bankruptcy, Team Bondi is selling those elements. It’s also rumored McNamara may be joining KMM, essentially meaning the end of the developer. I’m still trying to sort out what parts of the LA Noire IP go where so I can determine if a sequel could be coming from Rockstar, the remains of Bondi, or even KMM.
Less on business, more on games (for a minute). Warhammer 40k: Space Marine is coming September 6. But it’s got more features coming about a month later. Specifically, it’s getting an entirely new co-op game mode. No details about the mode are available yet. Is it a separate campaign? An extra layer to the main story? What we do know is that it will be free with the packaged online pass. Wait, what? I know the online passes are designed to get developers and publishers more of the original sales dollar by limiting online to new copies or through sale of the pass on your console’s store. But not giving you entire pieces of the game? This seems a little excessive. According to THQ, the mode’s delay is not profit-based though. It’s just a matter of giving it the extra coat of polish they want without delaying the title’s street date.
But, THQ is clearly being motivated on the monetary side of things. They’ve recently cut 200 jobs in the process of closing two Australian development studios, a development house in Phoenix, and ending the the MX vs. ATV franchise. Their explanation sounds pretty Activision – they want to leverage IP that can provide long term annual profits across multiple consoles.
Speaking of THQ, and calling back to Gamescom, they’ve announced their lineup for the show. No surprises here:
- The aforementioned Warhammer 40k: Space Marine will be on display.
- uDraw Game Tablet is coming to PS3 and XBox. It will include uDraw Studio: Instant Artist and Pictionary: Ultimate Edition
- adidas miCoach, the interactive training system for fitness buffs, is coming to consoles.
- That might help you in the real UFC, but not in UFC Undisputed 3, scheduled for January 2012.
- Or, if choreographed fighting is your thing, you can check out WWE ’12, coming in November.
- Then the doom sets in as you’ll see a world you don’t want to live in with Saints’ Row: The Third,
- a dying world Metro: Last Light,
- and the world after it ends in Darksiders II.
If you haven’t signed in to the Playstation Network since Tuesday night, better plan ahead. The PS3 has another new firmware. These have become less annoying – partly because they happen less often and partly because the download is so much faster now. What’s changed with 3.70? Not much. Streaming services like Hulu and Netflix have been combined under a single icon, “TV/Video Services.” If you have a 3D TV and camera, you’ll now be able to display your 3D shots straight from your PS3. You can also take advantage of the new “recommend” feature on the Playstation Store, letting your friends know which games, demos, videos, etc. you think they should try. Finally, for PS+ members, your “Automatic Download” feature has been renamed “Automatic Update.” The automated service will now get you the latest patches for your games, load saves to the cloud server, and sync your trophy information at your scheduled time.
We’ve received word of a delay on the fourth DLC chapter for Fallout: New Vegas. Lonesome Road was originally scheduled for July, but won’t be making it this month either according to Jason Bergman (Senior Producer): “[D]ue to circumstances beyond our control, Lonesome Road won’t be out this month. This isn’t due to any major issue with the code or content, but there are lots of factors involved in releasing these things, and one of those is causing us to slip past our intended release date. We don’t have an exact date yet, but we’re working to get it out as quickly as possible. We’ll be announcing the final date, along with a couple of other interesting FNV-related items in the near future.” But, to whet our whistles, they did give us a screenshot:
Itching to get your hands-on Assassin’s Creed: Revelations? It could happen as early as September 3-11. That’s when a timed beta, exclusive to PSN, begins. PS+ and uPlay members get first crack. Everyone else will need to wait until the game launches November 15. The beta will include:
- Nine Characters: Bombardier, Champion, Deacon, Guardian, Sentinel, Thespian, Trickster, Vanguard, and Vizier.
- Three Maps: Antioch, Constantinople, and Knights’ Hospital.
- Four Modes: Artifact Assault, Deathmatch, Manhunt, and Wanted.
If you’ve been reading along for a while you’ll know I’ve been following the saga of the R18+ rating in Australia for some time now. I’m pleased to report that it has officially been given the go ahead by all nine Australian states, including New South Wales (who had previously abstained from the vote pending discussion with its cabinet). The rating is equivalent to the U.S. “M for Mature” rating. This means previously banned games, like Mortal Kombat, will be finally be sold in the country. Future games that formerly would have been edited to the 15+ rating will get the normal release.
And I see that as a great positive note to end this issue of VGQH. Come back Tuesday for all the highlights from the weekend.