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.
Fresh Uncharted 3 info surfaces
Due for release this November, Uncharted 3 is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated game releases this year, let alone on PlayStation 3. Luckily for us fans, Naughty Dog hasn’t been shy on drip feeding us info the past few months, with this latest batch trickling its way on to the web via OPM. Most intriguing of all the tidbits dropped is the fact the esteemed studio didn’t conceive of Nathan Drake’s adventures as just a trilogy, hinting at future games. To be honest, I’d eat my hat if there wasn’t at least another two major entries in the franchise for the remainder of PS3’s shelf life, and that’s not including anything release on Next-Generation Portable (NGP). I mean, let’s face it – Drake is the new Crash Bandicoot, the Sony equivalent of Mario or Sonic. He’s hardly going to retire and mow the lawn anytime soon. Returning characters are also on the cards, though the developers wouldn’t elaborate any further – no doubt Elena and possibly Chloe will be popping up, though. Elsewhere, the Dogs also hinted we can expect some meaty desert distractions such as sandstorms and mirages, as well as all but confirming the inclusion of motorbikes. Indeed, just as Drake’s second outing upped the ante in almost every conceivable aspect in comparison to its stonking predecessor, Uncharted 3 looks set to raise the proverbial bar yet again. And I can’t wait.
White Knight Chronicles series ships one million worldwide
A hearty pat on the back to the chaps at Level-5. As I’ve mentioned before, White Knight Chronicles may not have been the critical darling we all expected, but anyone with a penchant for quintessential, Japanese RPGs should feel right at home with these sprawling, fantasy-themed outings. Still, while Japanese gamers have received one sequel and a PSP precursor, westerners have been twiddling their thumbs all this time waiting for WKC2 and Origins to finally make the transition to the U.S. and Europe. Fortunately that’ll happen later this year, though an exact date has yet to be decided. It’ll be interesting to see how both games sell outside of the Land of the Rising Sun, though.
Rumor: Dragon Age III in development, will have multiplayer
Blimey, hold your horses folks! Dragon Age II’s barely been shoved out the door and already the rumor mill is in full swing with murmurs of a third outing. Still, to be frank, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if BioWare is surreptitiously beavering away on another Dragon Age game – – after all, the franchise has proven hugely successful, with the most recent entry shifting over one million copies in less than two weeks. Not too shabby at all. As for the multiplayer component, well, that’s a natural evolution for the series, so again, wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Nonetheless, I have a feeling this may irk some fans, who might feel the game’s single-player campaign will be dumbed down as a result. Given BioWare’s pedigree though, I doubt this will be the case. We’re big fans of Dragon Age here at PSU Towers, so needless to say we have all fingers and toes crossed. Here’s hoping OPM’s on the money.
Resistance 3 multiplayer demo exclusive to PS Plus subscribers in Europe
If you’re looking for an incentive to get yourself signed up to Sony’s PlayStation Plus service, then an exclusive playable demo of Resistance 3 would like to say hi. Indeed, this is as good of a reason to upgrade to Plus as you’re likely to get for the foreseeable future – that is, of course, if you aren’t already tempted by the vast array of goodies up for grabs on a weekly basis. Resistance 3 is one of the PlayStation 3’s 2011 heavy weights, so it’ll be good to see how it’s shaping up. I’ll admit I have fairly high expectations for the Chimera shooter, being a pretty big fan of the original and its sequel. Don’t muck it up, Insomniac.
Pachter: NGP ‘quite awesome,’ though ‘price will be high’
Sony’s NGP seems to be generating ample praise amongst industry developers and analysts alike, with outspoken Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter the latest individual to extol the virtues of the pint-sized platform. Specifically, Pachter said after some hands-on time with the device that NGP could be ‘quite awesome’ providing it has the software to back it up, though feels it will come with a rather hefty price tag. I think we all knew we wouldn’t be paying any less than $250 for the handheld, though, and if you ask me Pachter’s price range ($299 or $349) sounds pretty reasonable. Elsewhere, he also heaped praise on Uncharted NGP, coming off rather impressed with its use of dual analogue sticks – which he assures us gamers will love – and its range of flashy functionalities, such as massaging the back of the unit to make Drake climb. With any luck, PSU will be able to finally go hands-on with NGP at E3 and see if Pachter’s enthusiasm is justified – which I’ve no doubt it will be.
Capcom unveils Dragon’s Dogma
Rumblings of a new Capcom IP going by the initials ‘DD’ have been doing the rounds for the past week or so, and this week, it finally emerged that the project is none other than medieval actioner, Dragon’s Dogma (and sadly, not a game starring Dick Dastardly, much to my dismay). This is an intriguing step for Capcom, who over the past couple of years have planted their feet firmly in either a contemporary or near-futuristic setting, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare in the fantasy realm. Aesthetically, DD is looking pretty scrumptious at present despite not being out until early next year, and apparently boasts a massive open world to explore at your leisure. Sounds like Capcom is banking on your allies pulling their weight, with team-mates acting independently of you, so hopefully the AI delivers the goods.
Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Announced
Forgive the pun, I’m going to have to be frank here – anyone who played the original Dead Rising wanted to see Frank West back for the sequel, and not just in a throwaway chunk of DLC. With Off The Record, fans of Mr. “I’ve covered wars, ya know” will get just that. More pertinently however, is that this will be the first time West has graced PlayStation 3, with the inaugural Dead Rising and Case West both skipping Sony’s black box in favour of Microsoft’s Xbox 360. With fresh weapons, enemies, vehicles, missions not to mention the return of the Prestige Points system via fab Frank’s camera, Off The Record sounds like it’s ticked all the boxes.
L.A. Noire getting PS3-exclusive content
Considering Team Bondi’s gorgeous-looking thriller was initially conceived as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that Rockstar’s planning exclusive PS3 content for the game. After all, with third-party exclusives going the way of the Dodo this generation, the only avenue exclusives is of course DLC. Still, I’m surprised Xbox 360 seems to be getting the short end of the stick as of late, especially with Kratos popping up in Mortal Kombat – how about a little something for Microsoft owners too? I suppose I’m a little flabbergasted that publishers aren’t adopting a Soul Calibur II-esque approach to things, where each platform has its own chunk of content unique to that particular version of the game. Still, as far as sales go, bagging exclusive goodies should in theory sway punters in favour of the PS3 release of L.A. Noire, so no doubt the chaps at Sony are happy as Larry.
SSX hits the slopes January 2012, six freshly groomed screens emerge
2011 is packed to the rafters with quality games, and while it’d be super to have SSX join the pack, I for one would much rather have a sure-fire triple A title out in January to kick start 2012. And SSX fits the bill perfectly. Besides, with development still heavily underway, the last thing we want is a rushed product just to cash-in on the Christmas shopping season, which sadly has been the case for many top brand sequels in the past. Take your time with this one, boys. Still, things seem to be shaping up nicely indeed, with EA Canada giving the franchise’s physics system a shot in the arm among other things. With the game quite a way off, let’s hope EA will continue to sprinkle us with plenty more tantalizing tidbits in the coming months. For now, hit the link and feast your eyes on the latest batch of screenshots.
Japan: PSP tramples on 3DS for second week running
If you do a bit of digging around on the web, it’s quite clear that while 3DS has drummed up some impressive sales figures, it hasn’t quite resonated with consumer to the degree many anticipated it would. Sales in the U.S. failed to break the 400,000 mark, and while Japan enjoyed a strong month, figures have tapered off somewhat, with Sony’s PSP – itself over six years-old – trumping it in the weekly hardware battle as of late. Okay, so there’s not that much difference between the weekly figures, but still an impressive feat considering how much those Japanese love their DS and its various incarnations. Of course, I’m not really surprised by the continued success of PSP in the region, seeing as how there’s a boatload of quality software up for grabs on the system – including the unstoppable juggernaut that is Monster Hunter Freedom 3. Indeed, even if PSP was lacking on the software front, as long as it’s got Capcom’s behemoth at its side, Sony’s pretty much guaranteed to be having roast turkey again this Christmas. It’s just a pity PSP’s success in Japan has failed to translate to western markets, where the handheld continues to limp behind the competition. NGP’ll fix that, hopefully.
Black Ops was last year’s biggest entertainment property in U.K., sold more than Avatar
Blimin’ heck, is there no stopping the Black Ops bandwagon? Frankly, if Treyarch’s apparent hiring of new staff a few weeks back wasn’t an indication of a sequel to last year’s multi-million dollar selling military blaster, then i’ll be very surprised. Given the monumental success Black Ops has enjoyed, I couldn’t imagine for one second that we won’t be getting a direct sequel – it’s like Modern Warfare all over again, after all. Looking at the amount of entertainment properties it managed to trump, Black Ops’ success is nothing short of unprecedented, not least because it managed to topple the goliath that is James Cameron’s Avatar. Indeed, regardless of your feelings towards the ubiquitous Call of Duty brand, the fact it managed to top Avatar is nothing to turn your nose at. After all, there was a time where it would be inconceivable for a videogame to accomplish such a feat – it’s like the equivalent of Tomb Raider II beating out Titanic back in 1997. How times have changed, eh? And yet, some folk still refuse to acknowledge the impact that games are having on our culture, and continue to perpetuate the belief that gamers are nothing more than spotty, introverted fatties sitting in their darkened rooms blasting pixelated aliens. Wake up, people.
Battlefield 3 dev ‘desperate’ to move on to next-gen platforms
Put the brakes on chaps! PlayStation 3 hasn’t even turned five years-old yet and already developer DICE is eager to get its mitts on a success to both Sony’s black box and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Right now, the only new console we’re likely to get before 2013 is a Wii 2, which if rumors would have you believe is all set for an E3 reveal this June. Sure, if Battlefield 3 and its frozenbite 2.0-powered innards are any indication of what early next-gen games may look like, then we’re in for a treat – but since we can enjoy this quality on existing machines, why the rush? PS3 and 360 have a good couple of years left in them yet, and year-on-year technology continues to evolve and get just that little bit more sophisticated. Maybe when developers have fully realised the power of current-gen machines it might be a good time to make the transition to new consoles, but there’s still plenty to squeeze out of them at present. The Wii’s a different kettle of fish altogether; it’s not HD, and can’t even play DVDs to boot. As such, it makes sense Ninty churn out a shiny new box, although would simply to put them on the same playing field as its competitors. For now, I think DICE should cool its jets and just soak up the knowledge that it’s chiselling away on what is surely going to be the best-looking shooter on the market this year.
Sony confirms PS3 has shipped 50 million units globally
Yep, that’s shipped. Not sold. Just to avoid any confusion, the latest milestone for Sony’s black behemoth represents ‘sell-in’, which is the equivalent of units shipped to retailers, not consumers. Nonetheless, it’s still an impressive milestone and pushes PlayStation 3 ever closer to topping Xbox 360 global life-to-date figures. I’ve no doubt the platform has a shot at catching up to its leading rival, especially considering the amount of quality games out this year for Sony’s platform in comparison to Microsoft, which seems to be experiencing something of a draught at present. That’ll all change when Gears of War 3 arrives, but that’s not until fall 2011 – plenty of time for Sony to flog some more PS3s on the back of the likes of infamous 2, Resistance 3 and others. As for PlayStation Move, well, it’s common knowledge now that Sony’s wand-waggling motion-controller is being outsold by Kinect in the U.S., though in Japan it’s the opposite state of affairs. Eight million units shipped worldwide is a solid start, though I’d like to see more games take advantage of the technology in a far more effective way than some of the more ‘tacked-on’ titles we’ve had since launch.
Rumor: “Major PS franchise to get HD update, E3 reveal?
You can bet your bollocks to a barn dance that we’ll be seeing more HD revivals on PS3 in the not-too-distant future (Team ICO Collection’s on the horizon for one), though quite what we’ll get is another matter altogether. If these latest rumors are true though, another major franchise looks set to receive a fresh, HD-flavoured coat of paint very soon, with an E3 reveal apparently on the cards. Now, what could it be? My instincts point towards either Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid, but I’d like to think it might be something a little less obvious. Silent Hill perhaps? Syphon Filter? MGS seems most likely though, considering a HD update of Solid Snake’s exploits was rumored to be in the works back in January this year. To date we’ve heard nothing more on the subject, but E3 would be an appropriate time to lift the lid on the project. We’ll have to wait and see.
Mortal Kombat news landslide
With Mortal Kombat due out next week, PSU’s Eric Blattberg recently had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with the chaps at NetherRealm Studios to get the skinny on the hotly-anticipated brawler. Get the full scoop here.
MotorStorm: Apocalyspe hits North America on May 3
Sony’s confirmed that North American gamers will be able to get their mitts on MotorStorm: Apocalypse on May 3 – a lot sooner than I personally had expected. It seems folk in the U.S. will also be treated to a couple of extra bonuses in light of the delay too, with all copies of the Evolution-developed off-road racer including a voucher for the Premier Pack DLC bundle. Lucky buggers. Still, it will be interesting to see if the delay will have a knock-on effect on sales, as the game’s U.K. performance wasn’t particularly encouraging, and stalled at number 17 in the charts. With Apocalypse being one of Sony’s heavy hitters this year, let’s hope it can enjoy a little more success across the pond.