I learned a rough lesson this weekend. Video games are safer than small town fairs. Do you ever watch cartoons and see someone get blasted clean off their feet by a fire hose? Did you ever wonder if that could really happen? It can. Those firemen hit me right on the shins and knocked my feet off the ground, then hit me in the chest and flipped me completely over backwards before I hit the ground. Then they just kept on it, pushing me across a baseball field about thirty feet before they let me up. And you know what they did then? Knocked me down again. Of course. By the way, that pressure is strong enough to leave bruises. But, they’re the really twisted kind of bruises that don’t actually show up on the skin. They just hurt. Deeply. Coming home I couldn’t be happier to be back in my nice, safe basement where I led a minifig Batman and his Justice League friends to a platinum trophy.
On to the news:
Two separate preorder bonuses have been announced for James Bond: 007 Legends. You can get the Legendary Alternative pack from Amazon. This one includes alternate costumes for Jaws (Moonraker Spacesuit) and Baron Samedi (Live and Let Die‘s Skeleton) in the Classic Conflict mode. Over at GameStop, you can get the 007 Pack. It has an extra costume, Bond’s Walther PPK, and an upgrade to your weapon switch speed. Regardless, it’s still coming October 16th.
Still looking for a release date on the HD upgrade for SEGA’s Jet Set Radio? It’s next month. September 18th & 19th on PSN ($9.99) and XBLA (800 MSP), respectively. There’s some extra news for Sony players. PlayStation Plus members get access a week early. There is also a Vita version planned, but it’s coming a little later, on October 16th.
We got a first look at the planned fifth character for Borderlands 2 a long time ago, but nothing has been forthcoming since. A few details have finally surfaced, most notably that she’s coming about 60 days after launch and she’ll be free. The mechromancer is still currently unnamed, but she can summon a robot named Deathtrap. The robot is basically a tank that can divert some fire away from the player(s). Internally, Gearbox refers to her skill tree as “girlfriend mode” since it’s designed for those who aren’t traditionally players of FPS titles. For example, one perk called “Close Enough” will allow the bullets fired in an enemies general direction to still make contact even if they shouldn’t. Lead Designer John Hemingway is considering a secondary tree for the character to balance the simple one. If it happens, the hardcore mode will be more suited to those really looking to refine their experience. A potential third tree, focusing primarily on defense, is also in the works. The game is planned for September 18th, meaning the extra character should be expected November 13th or 20th.
Warner Bros. Interactive, DC Comics, and NetherRealm have announced Catwoman for Injustice: Gods Among Us. She’ll be joining the already announced cast of Batman, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Solomon Grundy, Superman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman when the game launches for XBox 360, PS3, and WiiU in 2013. The press release also stated there will be “many others.” That should sort of go without saying when we’re talking about such a vast universe. Joker, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, Sinestro, Aquaman, and others should be obvious additions. Just for the fun of it, can I predict one of the ultimate villains? Darkseid.
Sony has delayed PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale by about a month. Previously set for late October, it’s now coming November 20, 2012. Naturally they haven’t said anyhting specific, but they did mention the private beta they’ve been running [full disclosure: I’m in the beta] and the indication is that the two things are connected. According to Chan Park, SuperBot Entertainment’s president, “This will enable us to spend more time polishing, tuning and incorporating some of the great feedback from the current limited beta to ensure we are creating the best possible fighting game experience. While it is our greatest desire to put this game into the hands of our fans as soon as possible, we do not want to do so at the sake of quality. We feel the additional time will be well worth the wait, and are excited to know that our fans will have the ultimate brawler in time for the holiday.”
In the meantime, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD finally has a PSN release date, after already launching the Summer of Arcade on XBLA. Sony gamers should be looking for this one in two weeks, August 28th. After already being part of Microsoft’s promotion, doesn’t this one just scream PS+ freebie?
Square Enix hasn’t been shy about embracing the culture of DLC, but they haven’t necessarily done a great job with it from a fan’s perspective. They’re looking to change that with an extensive six month plan for Sleeping Dogs. The first bundle is “the 80s-inspired Retro Triad Pack, a killer old school outfit with its own player buffs and funky kung-fu van.” It should be launching today along with the main game. September is set to bring “a high-speed Racing Pack and an explosive SWAT Pack.” According to Square Enix’s Lee Singleton (General Manager, London Studios), “The game launch is just the beginning. We want to create something to suit everyone’s play style from cool cars and high-speed missions to outlandish outfits and game-extending mission packs.” After the most recent Final Fantasy outing disappointed fans by only releasing a few outfits and bonus characters, rather than additional story content, Square Enix is going to need to get much more aggressive with their expansion strategy. Sleeping Dogs could be the right first step.
Gamescom is kicking off this week in Cologne, Germany and that likely means we’ll see a healthy influx of gaming news this week. Capcom has fired the first salvo with a pre-show press conference. Here are the highlights:
- The Devil May Cry reboot (1/15/13) does include Dante’s brother, Vergil. He has white hair. The two are estranged.
- Residentevil.net is Resident Evil 6‘s (10/2/12) answer to CoD: Elite and Battlelog. Free and available at launch.
- New sci-fi IP, Remember Me, from French-based Dontnod Entertainment was announced. Involves memory alteration a la Total Recall and Dollhouse.
- Showed video of PS3-exclusive Okami HD (Fall 2012). It’s Okami. It’s in HD. Cool, but a disappointing end to the conference.
Check back on Friday for more from Gamescom. And keep tabs on the main Big Shiny Robot page this week as major stories will be posted immediately. The organizers of the show mentioned Half Life 3 and Dragon Age 3 will be premiering, but they’ve since announced those statements were incorrect. Could be a red herring, or it could have been a mistake. Also Lucasarts has been showing off the E3 trailer for Star Wars 1313 again. Maybe we’ll see something more from them? Or at least an announcement for platforms?