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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Modern Warfare 3 sales top $1 billion in 16 days
It was only a matter of time before Modern Warfare 3 rifle-butted its way through yet another sales milestone, and sure enough, here it is. This is the big one though. Not content with selling 6.5 million copies in one day, the military shooter has now generated $1 billion in sales in just 16 days – smashing the record previously set by Avatar. Throwing numbers around is easy these days, but that’s some pretty impressive figures right there; if nothing else, it’s a fine testament to the fact videogames have firmly planted themselves on the mainstream consciousness, rather than staying below the radar. Love it or loathe it, Call of Duty carries some major clout, and it’s likely we’ll see next year’s entry follow suit.
Tekken Tag 2 officially confirmed for holiday 2012
Namco’s officially confirmed that Tekken Tag 2 will be hitting home consoles next Christmas. Okay, so we already knew it’d head to PS3 thanks to the inclusion of Tekken Tag 2 Prologue in Tekken Hybrid, but this is the first we’ve heard of an Xbox 360 release. Not a surprising move, since the series has gone the multiplatform route since Tekken 6, and will likely end up on Wii U at some point. Fans have every reason to be excited for Tekken Tag 2 however, and after playing the Prologue version I came away very impressed to say the least. The gameplay mechanics are as solid as ever, the visuals are looking particularly scrumptious, at the tag element has been expanded and comes off more strategic than its predecessor. Throw in an all-star line-up and you’ve got one of 2012’s must-have brawlers.
Fumito Ueda, creator of Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, leaves Sony
Fumito Ueda’s departure has been rumored for a few weeks now, and the man himself even took to Twitter last week to confirm he’s still working on The Last Guardian. Crucially however, he failed to go into detail on his employment status with Sony – and now we know why. Sadly, gossips were bang on the money, with Sony confirming this week that Ueda has jumped ship. No reason for his departure was given, but at least we can take comfort in the knowledge he’s going to polish off his sumptuous-looking PS3-exclusive. Quite where Ueda will go next is anyone’s guess, but it’s a major loss for Sony; the celebrated dev had a heap of creative freedom within the company, and produced some of the most compelling titles of the past decade. Sure, they weren’t all massive performers at retail, but they pushed boundaries and in many cases proved to some players that videogames can indeed be art.
The Last of Us due in late 2012/early 2013
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us undoubtedly stole the show at the Spike VGAs over the weekend, though one question remained on everyone’s lips after the bash wrapped – when’s it out? However, the Dogs shed a bit more light on the project this week, with a report in USA Today claiming the company is targeting a late 2012/early 2013 launch for the ambitious action-horror romp. In addition, the studio also revealed that the game has been in development since Uncharted 2: Among Thieves shipped, so in other words it’s had just over two years production under its belt. With this in mind, and taking into consideration a game of this calibre typically takes 2-3 years to make, a late 2012 date sounds quite plausible. Still, better not count those chickens just in case.
When Sony first lifted the curtains on Sorcery back at E3 2010, I don’t think anyone anticipated the game wouldn’t arrive for another two years or so. But that’s apparently the case, with Sony finally breaking silence on the game this week after an extended hiatus, confirming the game will be out in spring 2012. As far as PlayStation Move goes, this game could be the one that sells Sony’s wand waggling device to the naysayers, and its showcase at E3 2010 certainly left many convinced that Move can deliver a solid, hardcore experience. If Sony can nail the movements so they feel intuitive and come lag-free, then they could be on to something pretty impressive here.
PS3 is lead platform for Metal Gear Rising
Developer Platinum Games has let slip that it’s using PS3 as the lead platform for upcoming hack-‘em-up Metal Gear Rising, a fact that will no doubt please PS3 Bayonetta owners. After all, the sultry action romp was a right cracker, no doubt about it, but suffered from multiple hiccups on the technical front (though in all honesty, I didn’t notice many issues when I reviewed the game for PSU back in January 2010). Fortunately though, this is something which isn’t being repeated for Rising. Regardless what you think of Raiden’s actioner (and it’s divided fan opinion from what I’ve been reading on the web), at least we can presumably look forward to a decent PS3 version and not a shoddy port. These days, developers are starting to churn out some stellar PS3 conversions, with L.A. Noire in particular looking mighty impressive.
Skyrim has already shipped 10 million units worldwide
Skyrim has proven a considerable success across the globe, having already smashed sales of its predecessor and topping the U.K. Charts in the process (and as reported earlier, manage to boot Modern Warfare 3 off the top spot just this last week). Bethesda has now confirmed that the fantasy RPG has shipped a massive 10 million units worldwide, and while this isn’t a representation of how many copies have made their way into consumers’ hands, it’s still an impressive figure. More impressive, considering the number translates to $650 million in sales. Entirely justified in PSU’s opinion, and it’s not just us who have been gushing about the game; Skyrim’s already bagged numerous Game of the Year awards across the web, and looking into 2012, we’ve still got the still unannounced DLC to look forward to. But the most important thing you should be musing over is whether or not it’ll receive PSU’s award for GoTY? Keep your eyes peeled next week to find out.
Hideo Kojima teases Fox Engine with new screens
Hideo Kojima has been quietly beavering away on his latest project for some time now, even though no one really knows what it is that he’s working on. However, this week the esteemed developer teased a shot of the new game, codenamed Project Ogre, running on the new Fox Engine. From the look of things, Kojima seems to be plumping for a Middle Eastern setting, and one that appears to be engulfed in conflict. The second image, meanwhile, is pure aesthetical; a shot of two ladies with their backs to the camera, demonstrating some of the flashier things the Fox Engine can do. Namely, “see-thru underwear” according to Kojima. The dirty old goat.
The Best of the Rest…
U.K. Charts: Skyrim overtakes Modern Warfare 3
Kojima Productions doesn’t have enough staff to make Zone of the Enders 3
Hideo Kojima’s original idea for Metal Gear Solid 5 included The Boss, Cobras
Over $350k raised at Child’s Play Gala and Auction
Sorry to backpedal: Only one PSN account per Vita (seriously, this time)