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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Former Bizarre Creations dev joins Sumo Digital
Bizarre Creations’ demise last week still has me down in the dumps as I type these very words. Having been gaming since 1990, I’ve had the pleasure of growing up first-hand with the company’s various works, and have fond memories of the likes of Formula One ’96 on PlayStation and, naturally, Dreamcast heavy weight Metropolis Street Racer. The latter was particularly ground-breaking for its time, chiefly due to its meticulously realised visuals which painstakingly re-created cities including London and Tokyo. Sure, the firm’s last effort, James Bond: Blood Stone wasn’t exactly the ideal swansong we might have hoped for, but Bizarre’s 17 year pedigree speaks for itself. I was hoping to see some of its creative talent snapped up, and sure enough, Gareth Wilson has already found a new place to call home – in this case, Sumo Digital. Hopefully we’ll hear more of Bizarre’s former employees being snapped up in the future, as they’re a bloody talented bunch. While I’m here, I’d like to extend my best wishes to Wilson for the future and look forward to seeing what he’ll cobble together next.
GT5 ships 6.3 million copies worldwide
I was pretty surprised by the reaction to GT5 upon its release, though I imagine this was the case for many. Having been in the works for so long that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Karl Benz had a hand in pre-production, the game should have been the most authentic, flawless racing experience ever conceived. As it stands, it was a solid racer, but admittedly didn’t deliver on the near-insurmountable expectations it carried in the back seat. Still, from the look of life-to-date shipments, petrol heads have been polishing off their wing mirrors and strapping on their seat belts for a fifth time running, with the game moving an impressive 6.3 million units globally since its November release. More impressive is the sales figures for the franchise as a whole, which has topped an eye-watering 63.15 million copies sold. Not too shabby, eh?
New Two Worlds game in development for 2012
As we touched on in our news article, publishers and developers alike are not exempt from cocking up every now and then – bad for them, but good for us. In this case, we’ve got confirmation of a third instalment in fantasy RPG series Two Worlds, which is supposedly due for release in 2012. Still, the subject of Two Worlds is a bit of a taboo subject as of late, remaining plagued by a whiff of controversy following accusations that publisher Top World had blacklisted various press outlets for luke warm review scores for Two Worlds II. We weren’t overly keen on the game ourselves admittedly, with PSU’s Adam Dolge slapping a just-above-average 6/10 on the sequel. Guess we’re off Top World’s Christmas Card list, then. Either way, Two Worlds certainly has promise, and being a huge fan of the fantasy RPG genre, I’m eager to see if a third outing will improve upon its predecessors shortcomings. Still, it’s going to be facing some heavy competition – Dragon Age II, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and The Witcher II will all be out by the time of Two Worlds III’s release, so I have a feeling punters may be too busy with the competition to notice anything less than a monumental shake-up. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Sony targeting profitability over beating Xbox 360
While I’m sure that rampant fanboys would like nothing more than Sony’s black Knight to slay the Microsoft dragon in the console war, it’s hardly a surprise to learn this week that beating Xbox 360 isn’t top of the agenda. After all, what’s a bunch of numbers to anyone if you’re ultimately not achieving profitability? Nintendo’s philosophy has remained purely focused on remaining in the green as it were, and that seems to have done them just fine. Okay, so everyone and his granny seems to own a Wii these days, but the point is, a company like Sony has to focus on financial stability over toppling the competition. Despite this, I personally feel that the notion of PS3 eclipsing 360’s sales isn’t as lofty a goal as it initially seemed – after all, Sony’s platform has come leaps and bounds in terms of sales the past year or so, while 360 sales seemed to have lagged somewhat. This combined with what is likely to be the PS3’s strongest year to date in terms of exclusives should facilitate some meaty hardware adoption rates throughout 2011. Then again, Microsoft is apparently keeping its biggest cards close to its chest for now, with murmurs suggesting that E3 will be quite a whopper for 360 fans.
Killzone 3 hasn’t maxed out PS3’s power
PS3’s been on the market for nearly five years, but with Sony targeting a decade long lifecycle for the platform, it’s comforting to hear that one of its most prolific first party developers have yet to squeeze every last bit of juice out of the machine. Specifically, I’m referring to comments from Guerrilla Games big cheese Hermen Hulst, who said the firm won’t make the mistake of declaring that they’ve “maxed out” Sony’s black beast from here on out. Those of you with Elephant-like memories may recall that Guerrilla did indeed make such claims two years ago after Killzone 2 drop-shipped onto store shelves. However, upon reflection, this wasn’t obviously the case. Same goes for Killzone 3, apparently, which despite packing in some of the PS3’s most scrumptious visuals to date still hasn’t pushed the hardware to its limits. Still, you can bet your bottom dollar that the inevitable Killzone 4 will do a bang up job of pushing PS3 even closer to the edge in a few years time. Even then, though, I highly doubt it’ll squeeze every ounce of pixel pushing power out of Sony’s flagship console.
The Last Guardian gets massive info landslide
The colossal beast that is The Last Guardian has been fairly docile as of late, with Team ICO obviously perfectly content to quietly chisel away at the inevitable masterpiece without giving us so much as a drop of info as of late. That all changed this week, though, thanks to the chaps at PSM3 France, who went hands-on with the PS3-exclusive’s first mission, and had a natter with Fumito Ueda to boot. And boy, did it deliver. The famed creator spilled the beans on a number of juicy details, including dropping info on the intricately-realised visuals applied to Griffin-like beast Torico, puzzle difficulty, the relationship between Torico and his boy chum, plus stacks more. Interestingly, the game will apparently ship in Japan for sure by the year’s end, though Ueda assured he wouldn’t rush the product to market. Could it slip into 2012 for western markets? Hopefully not, but it’ll be worth the wait – that much is abundantly clear.
Crytek: Crysis 2’s purpose ‘isn’t to dethrone Call of Duty’
While Electronic Arts boss John Riccitiello’s freely admitted he’s got his sights on toppling Call of Duty with DICE-developed Battlefield 3, Crytek’s goals with Crysis 2 doesn’t involve in any shape or form attempting to supplant the Activision juggernaut. On the contrary, studio head Cevat Yerli’s said all he’s concerned about I delivering a solid entry in the sci-fi franchise, specifically one that “hits the gamer’s nerves.” Indeed, while I’d love to see another FPS plant its backside in CoD’s throne (even though I’m a major fan of the franchise all the same), I’m pleased to see that at least one company with a major IP out this doesn’t seem so apparently focused on the competition. After all, if you got a solid project, then the results usually speak for themselves. As such, while Crytek may not be consciously making an effort to beat CoD, the fact they’ve got what looks like a stonking sequel in the pipeline should be more than enough to turn heads come release day. As Yerli said, if they also happen to beat CoD, it’s just the icing on Crytek’s cake.
First-person is ‘most direct way to engage players,’ says Levine
I’m with Levine on this one. Having played many types of games, I’ve become far more immersed in those that possess a first-person perspective than the third-person. Don’t get me wrong, cinematic offerings like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil are suitably engrossing, but there’s something about seeing things through the ‘eyes’ of the protagonist that hooks you in more. Take a game like Oblivion for example. Bethesda’s RPG gives you the option of plumping for both third person and first-person, yet I find myself not even have to think about which one to pick. Unequivocally, the latter provides a far more compelling gameplay experience; yes, it limits your viewpoint to some extent, but I personally feel more detached in the third-person. Levine’s own BioShock is no different, which itself is an incredibly narrative-heavy, thought-provoking experience. Take for example the process of deciding whether or not to harvest the iconic Little Sisters. Could you imagine viewing the process of draining them of ADAM from a third-person viewpoint? I can, and frankly it just wouldn’t be the same. You wouldn’t have to look your horrified victim in the eye as she struggles to extricate herself from your grasp, slapping your hand away desperately as you lean in for the kill. With first-person, you feel fundamentally more attached; it’s your actions that are unfolding in front of your eyes, not somebody else’s. And certainly not a mere ‘videogame character.’
Resident Evil: Raccoon City rumors resurface
As PSU’s self-proclaimed Resident Evil nut, I’ve been keeping my eye on rumblings of the long-rumored Raccoon City ever since I caught wind of it back in November. Details are still thin on the ground, but if it indeed the real McCoy, then I think fans are in for a treat. Not only is developer Slant Six Games supposedly going back to the iconic, doomed City, but that can only mean one thing: Zombies. And by gum, does Resident Evil ever need a return to form sharpish. It’s been too long since our shambling friends have taken centre stage, so anything that may potentially re-introduce the undead hordes back into the proceedings gets my vote. Plus for all its faults, Resident Evil: Outbreak wasn’t actually half bad at all, and Raccoon City sounds as if it’ll be taking a leaf out of the online horror’s book by offering a team-based affair feature multiple playable characters. I was hoping we’d see a few familiar faces – for example, I’m still itching to see how Rebecca Chambers made it out of Raccoon City – but it’s early days yet. Of course, there’s also the possibility the game may not even exist at all – darn those pesky rumors. Still, for now, I’m remaining cautiously optimistic. Additionally, it’d be nice if Capcom let us know if Resident Evil Portable is still in the works – it’s approaching the two-year mark since we last heard anything about it. Could Raccoon City be in the works for NGP, perhaps? The series has yet to show up on a Sony handheld despite arriving on both the DS and 3DS, so it’s about time something materialised in this respect. Then again, the prospect of PS3-powered, HD revamp of Raccoon City has me salivating like a T-Virus infected hell hound.
Modern Warfare 3 announcement for GDC?
And so it begins. Frankly, there’s nothing else this could conceivably be aside from Modern Warfare 3. New CoD games are typically given the reveal treatment this time of year, and with rival EA flexing its Battlefield 3-sized biceps GDC next week, I can’t see Activision missing out on the chance to strut its own stuff as the two companies battle for attention like a couple of testosterone-fuelled frat boys. Besides, the whole "findmakarov" teaser pretty much gives it away. However, this does seemingly extinguish rumors of a prequel staring Ghost, seeing as how the lovable cockney Task Force 141 couldn’t possibly feature if Modern Warfare 3 is indeed a direct sequel as hinted. After all, Ghost ended up brown bread towards the climax of MW2, while Makarov still remains at large. Shepherd took a knife to the eye, so that explains the blood-stained dog tags. Still, hopefully we’ll at least get Captain Price and Soap, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Gaz/Ghost voice actor Craig Fairbrass showed up to lend his talents to another chisel-jawed team mate. Let’s hope this time he actually makes it through the whole game though, eh?
PSP getting US price cut on February 27
Sony’s swanky NGP may be on the horizon and metaphorically shoving another nail in the PSP’s coffin, but this week the company’s proved there’s still life in the old dog yet. That’s thanks to a price reduction on Sony’s trusty slab, bringing the pint-sized platform down to a mouth-watering $129.99. Indeed, you can waffle on all you want about how PSP has failed to capture the hearts of gamers in the west, or how it’s been trampled on by DS over the past few years, but one thing remains clear: the quality of the software speaks for itself. PSP’s always been the handheld choice for the hardcore gamer, and even after being impressed by what NGP has to offer I’m still toying with the notion of getting one. It’s just too tempting. No doubt Sony will flog quite a few more PSP’s before the year is up thanks to the price cut, and deservedly so – here’s hoping it goes out with a bang rather than a whimper.
God of War III, Uncharted 2 hit PS3 Greatest Hits range
Sony’s confirmed that yet more triple-A goodies will be joining the ranks of the Greatest Hits line-up over in North America in the near future, including God of War III, Uncharted 2: Game of the Year Edition and Heavy Rain. Talk about being spoiled rotten. You know, I almost envy new adopters these days. Just look at the amount of bargains one can gobble up if you’re looking to make the transition to Sony’s latest box of tricks. Not only do you have the chance to snap up a sleek, sexy PS3 Slim, but you can also snag some of the biggest games on the market for a budget price – what more could you ask for?