I hope everyone had a good weekend. I scored my Mass Effect 2 platinum trophy and started my inFAMOUS 2 good karma run. I also had a good time with friends and really enjoyed my weekend, up until our Utes proved to me they are ultimately gutless. That loss to USC happened solely because the team is scared to get into a hard scrap. And that includes Kyle Whittingham making the gutless decision to push for overtime when he had enough clock to try one more play for a win. Of course, you aren’t hear to read about my disappointment in Utes football. But I do have one more aside before we get to the news. I watched Kevin Smith’s Red State on Sunday. Wow. If you haven’t seen this, go order it up On Demand before it’s gone. This is well worth it. And don’t let Kevin Smith’s name sway you one way or the other. This is not his typical fare but it is fantastic.
So, now for why you actually read this column, gaming news:
With Crysis 2 recently launching on consoles, Crytek is now set to expand the original Crysis to PSN and XBLA as well. Originally thought to be too difficult for a console to run, the first game was notorious for pushing the limits of many high end PCs. Now, not only is it coming through your download service, it’s coming with even better HD graphics and sterescopic 3D. The announced price is $20. Look for it on your virtual store next month.
Old school PC gamers may remember a top down series called Syndicate from the mind of Peter Molyneux. Rumors of another sequel or reboot have been bounced around since a 2006 interview with Molyneux in Leipzig. Those rumors were further fueled earlier this year leading to speculation about Starbreeze Studios working on the project. EA has now officially confirmed Starbreeze is developing a reinvention of the intellectual property. The espionage thriller will now be a first-person shooter (how creative) for consoles. The brass tacks? You play as Miles Kilo, a techno-enhanced human agent in a three way corporate battle for control of the American market. Because the corporations have basically run the government out of power, anything goes. If you think this sounds a little like another PC game game “from God” that’s recently been updated for consoles, you’re not alone. As curious as I am to see the game, I’m more curious how it will differentiate itself. The schedule for answering that question is “early 2012.”
File this one firmly under the rumor category, but it appears we could be seeing a change in Square Enix’s attitude towards the Final Fantasy series. In a market dominated by yearly releases from the likes of Activision and EA, the franchise is apparently being mandated for a biannual schedule. This means the next game should be in 2014, after FFXIII-2 releases next year. So what would this next game be? Based on the recent registrations of a domain name by their typical registrant company, they may be keeping to the same universe, making Final Fantasy XIII-3. As I mentioned, this is all rumor. But, assuming the rumor is true, could this be a move to build the franchise into a series of disconnected trilogies, much in the same way they were disconnected games before? Trilogies are all the rage in media these days. This wouldn’t be that strange of a move, just look to the Assassin’s Creed franchise as an example. Ubisoft originally said this was planned to be a trilogy, but now the second game has turned into a trilogy in itself. It seems their new plan is for Revelations to be the end of the second chapter, picking up later with a whole new assassin for the third. With as much success as it’s reached, you can count on that third assassin having at least three games. And there’s no guarantee they end the franchise there either.
Also new to the internet’s rumor category (from an anonymous source) is SEGA’s possible announcement of Bayonetta 2 at the Tokyo Game Show later this week. The first game definitely has a fan base and they’re sure to sell a few copies of a sequel. This announcement has been expected and anticipated by fans for some time and TGS is a great venue for it. So, while I’m keeping it as a rumor, I’m personally expecting it’s true.
Shifting gears, have you been enjoying Dead Island? Do you want more? You’ll get it later this month with the first batch of DLC for the game, the Bloodbath Arena. If you got a download voucher by pre-ordering you’ll score this add-on free. Otherwise, it’ll be available from your online store for $10. The expansion will include an online leaderboard to check your skills against friends in four wild arenas full of endless zombies, xp, and loot (including a new weapon, the brain wave bomb). Hopefully the company’s efforts on the DLC are not detracting from a series of glitches many players are still experiencing with their save games (even after the launch day patch that fixed a gamut of other bugs).
Fans of a quick, blue hedgehog have been waiting for confirmation on the announced November release window for Sonic Generations. SEGA has officially locked it down to November 1st. Preorders are now available at all major retailers. But, considering this fall’s lineup of top shelf games, I wouldn’t expect inventory to run too low on this one. Not that Sonic isn’t fun, but a $60 release for a character that hasn’t had a hit in a few years tells me it won’t stack up next to the competition.
The next pair of brawlers announced for Street Fighter x Tekken are Rufus and Bob. Their announce trailer is a lot better than the esoteric nonsense we’ve been getting so far. It’s actually dressed up like a comedic scene from an old kung fu movie with Rufus thinking Ken got fat to be more like him. Check out the ” target=”_blank”>video to see a possible teaser for another character at the end.
And today’s final Quick Hit is actually just a suggestion for something to watch tomorrow. Head on over to Rockstar Games’ website about noon (EDT) on Wednesday. That’s when you’ll get the first look at the trailer for Max Payne 3. The game isn’t out until March, but this will be the public’s first chance to see and older, grizzlier Max in bullet time action. Sure we’ve had some screenshots, including the one below, but seeing this game in action will go a long way toward confirming or overturning my hesitation about it.
That’s it for today, check back on Friday for the late edition of VGQH. I’m going to go play more inFAMOUS 2 now.