Another week, another onslaught of gaming news for your consumption. Check out our top picks of the past week’s stories below.
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Killzone 3 beta site launched
What better way to kick off the week than getting near-confirmation of a Killzone 3 mulitplayer beta? With February 2011 still a way off, this is the ideal opportunity to wet our appetites for the Guerrilla shooter and take the strain off what would otherwise be an excruciating 6 months or so of twiddling our thumbs and staring at the latest screenshots in anticipating for the game’s launch. As we speculated on in the article, it’s very likely we’ll hear something concrete on the beta at GamesCom next week, so we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop. Fingers crossed the beta opens soon.
No FF Versus XIII for GamesCom
We’d like to think we’re fairly optimistic chaps here at PSU Towers, but even we have to admit we didn’t think Final Fantasy Versus XIII had any chance of showing its face at GamesCom next week – and it looks like we were bang on the money. After all, sightings of the hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive have been about as common as spotting Big Foot at your local petting zoo. According to Nomura-san, the game is currently in the process of voice casting, so at least we know the project is alive and well. Fingers crossed for a Tokyo Game Show re-reveal, eh? Still, with Square making it clear the PS3 RPG is still a long ways off, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if the game failed to put in another public appearance until 2011.
Creepy jack-in-the-box in each Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Collector’s Edition
The past couple of weeks have seen an abundance of sumptuous Collector’s Edition-related goodies announced, with Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood CE being the latest to join the list. Set to retail for a wallet-draining $100 USD, the set includes a plethora of goodies (an artbook, soundtrack, comic book, in-game maps etc) with GameStop offering up a quirky jack-in-the-box, while other retailers will throw in a Plague Doctor mask. As far as Collector’s Editions go, this one is certainly likely to be worth every cent. We feel spoilt rotten.
Ninja Theory on Heavenly Sword 2: “never say never”
We’ve always had a soft spot for Heavenly Sword. Sure, it wasn’t the triple-A extravaganza we were hoping for, but despite its flaws the game still holds a special place in our hearts. As such, we’ve been clamouring for a sequel ever since, and while it’s highly unlikely to happen, it’s somewhat comforting to know that developer Ninja Theory hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of working on a follow-up. Unfortunately, with the original failing to turn in a profit and receiving a somewhat tepid response from the gaming press, we’re not going to hold our breath. Let’s just hope Enslaved is worth the wait, eh?
Square to show Deux Ex: Human Revolution and more at GamesCom
Japanese giant Square Enix might not be ready to unwrap fresh details on FF Versus XIII at GamesCom next week, but that doesn’t mean the publisher still won’t maintain a strong presence at the Cologne-based event. Refreshing news, since other heavy weights including Capcom and SEGA previously confirmed they’ll be showcasing an abbreviated line-up in comparison to previous years. As such, Square fanatics will have the likes of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, The 3rd Birthday, Deux Ex: Human Revolution and Kane & Lynch: Dog Days to look forward to. Bring it on.
Capcom brings Euro Dead Rising 2 release forward
With all the delays that have been cropping up over the past month or so, it’s certainly refreshing to hear that Capcom has opted to bring forward the release of one if its biggest software outings of the year, namely Dead Rising 2. Indeed, having previously been delayed from early September to October 1, the European release of the zombie sequel is now penciled in for a September 24 launch. What’s more, that puts it on shelves before the U.S. version, which is out on September 28. Combine this with the eye-popping Collector’s Edition pack on offer, and it’s fair to say we’re simply chuffed to bits with the Capcom code house right now. Mixing it up with rotting cannibals has never seemed like such an exciting prospect – September can’t come soon enough.
New DiRT 3 screens get messy
DiRT by name but certainly not by nature, this latest batch of shots for Codemasters rally romp look positively stunning, oozing class and sophistication from every mud-ridden corner and generally making for some of the most jaw-dropping tracks and motors we’ve clapped eyes on in a racing game for quite some time. Check out our gallery here.
BioShock Infinite will take players to the sky
One of the biggest announcements of the week came from Irrational Games. For weeks now, we’ve heard speculation as to what the developer’s new game would be. It turns out the studio that brought us the first BioShock was actually working on a sequel. BioShock Infinite will take players to the cloud city of Columbia. A trailer was also released Thursday, showing some beautiful visuals, and a teaser for what we can expect when the game drops in 2012. Yup, 2012 is a long ways away, but from the looks of it, it’ll be worth the wait.
Crysis 2 slated for March 2011 release
On Friday, Crytek announced that Crysis 2 would be released on March 22, 2011 in North America and March 25, 2011 in Europe. This comes a week after EA said the game would be pushed back from its late 2010 timeframe. In addition to the new release date, Crytek released the first multiplayer screenshot, making us even more excited for 2011.