Welcome to another instalment in our weekly news digest where the team at PSU Towers picks our favourite slices of gaming gossip from the past seven days, before proceeding to offer our two cents on each story for good measure.
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Tekken Hybrid to include Tekken Tag 2 demo
The next year or so will see the Tekken series reaching ubiquitous heights unlike ever before, as Namco looks set to roll out a heap of new games including Tekken Tag 2, Tekken x Street Fighter, Tekken Hybrid and Tekken Wii U just to name but a few. First on the radar is Tekken Hybrid, which packages a HD revamp of Tekken Tag 1 with the upcoming CG flick Blood Vengeance – but that’s not all. Nope, PS3 owners will also be treated to a playable teaser of Tekken Tag 2, which apart from giving you more incentive to pick up the bundle also outright confirms that the tag-based brawler is console bound. Of course, we all knew this was going to happen, but Namco has remained decidedly tight-lipped about it nonetheless, so it’s good to hear it out in the open. Being the massive Tekken aficionado that I am, I’m snapping this up on day one; Blood Vengeance looks pretty meaty, and Tekken Tag is one of my all-time favourite beat ‘em ups, so I’ll be relishing in the chance to play it with a 1080p paintjob. Plus, my PS2 copy runs abysmally slow on my chunky 60GB PS3, so I have the perfect excuse to plonk down the cash.
Ubisoft details Assassin’s Creed: Revelations special editions
Assassin’s Creed is no stranger to receiving the special edition treatment, and it’s unsurprising to see that the latest entry, Revelations, is no exception to this rule. And from the look of things, Ezio looks set to get a mighty send-off with the sumptuous Collections and Animus Edition SKUs that Ubisoft unveiled in full force this week. I myself have just only recently got into the franchise, and recently received the Brotherhood Codex Edition, much to my delight. Indeed, if the quality of this box of goodies is anything to go by (just as well, since it set me back 60 quid), then fans would be mental to pass up either the CE or Animus edition of Revelations. Both versions contain extra in-game content, a soundtrack, a copy of the upcoming mini movie Embers, plus a gorgeous art book with the CE release and a comprehensive series encyclopaedia with the Animus Edition. Not too shabby, eh? Get those pre-orders in fast – I already have my name down for the Animus version.
PS3 is ‘definitely gaining ground,’ says analyst
Microsoft has been stamping all over the competition in terms of monthly U.S. hardware sales as of late, though that obviously hasn’t been enough to put a dent in PS3’s efforts, which analyst Jesse Divnich said this week has outsold 360 globally by 10 percent during the first half of the year. Not only that, but Sony’s black beast is now roughly five percent behind Microsoft’s platform in terms of worldwide installed base, which isn’t too bad when you consider 360 had a 12 month head start on its leading competitor. M2’s Billy Pidgeon also chipped in on the hardware race, stating his belief that PS3 may eclipse 360’s installed base if Microsoft decides to launch another console. However, with 360 lacking in major exclusives as of late- while PS3 has been churning them out all over the shop, I think Sony’s in for a shot regardless whether a successor to the 360 arrives on the scene anytime soon. A price cut would definitely facilitate Sony’s chances of supplanting the Microsoft juggernaut sooner rather than later, though – fingers crossed rumors of a Games Com price drop deliver the goods.
DICE: PSN hack will create ‘a better service for PS3 owners’
There’s no question that the after effects of the cyber attacks on PSN back in April are still creating ripples throughout the industry, though for the most part things seem to be getting back on track. DICE has recently weighed in on the subject, saying the firm is glad things have been resolved and ultimately feels the hack will produce a ‘better service for PS3 owners.’ And frankly, you’d be hard pressed to disagree, as the hack ultimately gave Sony a firm kick up the backside, resulting in increased vigilance and security measures being in place. That’s not to say I don’t think the attack should have been prevented in the first place, far from it, but at least this way Sony has the security parameters in place that it requires to protect its consumers in the future.
EA Q1 results: Crysis 2 ships 3 million worldwide
The first chunk of 2011 has been pretty significant for the chaps at Electronic Arts, with four triple-A sequels arriving on the scene in the shape of Crysis 2, Portal 2, Dead Space 2 and Dragon Age II. All of them were critical darlings (well, there was some disappointment over Dragon Age II, but it still did the business), a feat that is unsurprisingly reflected in worldwide shipments. Crysis 2 was the main breadwinner, shipping 3 million globally, while the others shipped over 2 million units – not too shabby. This year is chock full of sequels as it is, which may irk some folk, but ultimately it means more dosh to fund original IP, which hopefully we’ll see a little more of over the next few years. As for Dead Space and Dragon Age, rumors suggest the developers behind both titles – namely Visceral Games and BioWare, respectively – are already beavering away on a sequel, so I’m hopeful we’ll see some new ideas thrown into the mix to keep things fresh. The last thing we want in this climate is more CoD-style rehashes.
Sony Q1 results: PS3 sales down 600K, game sales on the rise
Consoles sales fluctuate more than the size of Ricky Gervais’s waistline, though I’m slightly surprised to hear that PS3 sales are down 600k for Q1 FY2011 compared to last year. After all, Sony’s beastly telly box hasn’t exactly been hard up for quality exclusives over the past few months – more so than the same period last year, in fact – though nonetheless PS3’s performance has been a little sluggish. Despite this, punters have obviously been snapping up plenty of software, with game sales for the platform increasing by a fairly significant margin, reflecting the frankly stellar spring 2011 line-up. Expect things to pick up considerably as we enter the fall/holiday season.
THQ pulls the plug on Red Faction
A sad week for fans of terrain-destroying shooter Red Faction, as THQ big cheese Brian Farrell confirmed that the long-running series has been given the chop. Apparently, poor sales of Armageddon are to blame, though in all honesty I don’t think the game’s lacklustre performance should come as a surprise to fans. After all, Guerrilla, while a decent enough game, deviated considerably from the formula, switching the action to a third-person shooter. While some folk – PSU included, admittedly – enjoyed this development, a large chunk of fans weren’t too crazy about it, and this year’s follow-up, Armageddon, failed to resonate with a wider audience. Personally, I think it’s far too premature to can the series yet; I’m no business brain, but I think the franchise still has legs, and a return to form with some fine-tuning here and there could have reinvigorated the series.
PS Vita in ‘tough position’ after 3DS price cut, says analysts
Nintendo’s decision to chop the 3DS’ price by roughly a third this week sent ripples around the web, signalling what many had been thinking for a long time – Nintendo’s swanky new slab is in a bit of a pickle. It’s pretty much common knowledge that the 3DS hasn’t met sales expectations, and the fact Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been the only title so far to shift one million copies is a little concerning. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. The pertinent topic here is that the price drop may throw a spanner in the works in regards to the launch of PS Vita – at least, that’s according to several industry analysts. Specifically, some say the 3DS price cut has put Vita in a ‘tough position,’ though at the same time, others insist Sony will still be able to hold firm with the $249.99 price tag providing it dishes out enough quality software. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d be more than willing to fork out for Vita at its targeted price point considering the amount of triple-A releases on the horizon, an area that the 3DS was sorely lacking in at launch. Whereas Nintendo fans have to wait it out for future gems like Super Mario 3DS, Vita owners will be able to tuck into the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 from day one. That’s worth the asking price by a long shot, if you ask me.