NPD figures, bold words from Gran Turismo’s Kaz Yamauchi and confirmation of a series of new titles in the Oddworld franchise are just some of the juicy gossip we’ve had the pleasure of sinking our teeth in to over the past week — and it’s still a month until GamesCom, too. See below for the top stories of this past week.
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Yoshinori Ono to debut new project at Comic-Con
Last week Ono-san Tweeted that he was hoping to offer gamers a glimpse at his new project at Comic-Con later this month. Fortunately for us, it seems the Street Fighter IV producer has made up his mind on the situation, and confirmed that he has prepared a trailer of his latest work especially for the San Diego-based nerd fest, which kicks off on July 22. Make no mistake, this is big stuff; Street Fighter IV was an immaculate affair in the beat ‘em up genre, so we’re gagging to find out what Ono has up his sleeves next. We say again – Darkstalkers sequel, anyone?
Get your name in Gran Turismo 5’s credits
It’s not everyday you get an opportunity to have your name plastered in the credits of one of the hottest games of this generation, so if you’re anything like us, you’ll jump at the opportunity to get yourself a mention in Polyphony Digital’s eagerly anticipated racer. Of course, by the time you read this news retrospective, it’ll already be pretty close to the end of the competition, so be sure to get your skates on and submit your entry.
Ubisoft reckons Assassin’s Creed will become as big as GTA
If we had to put money on any major franchise attempting to reach the dizzying commercial heights of Rockstar’s seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that is Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed wouldn’t have been our first choice. Or second for that matter. While the stealth-em up series is unquestionably a stellar experience, it just doesn’t have quite the same mass-market appeal as, say, Call of Duty or Halo. Having said that, sales of the sequel were exceptional, and if pre-orders for the forthcoming Brotherhood are anything to go by, Ezio’s swansong looks set to become another sure fire hit. Don’t get us wrong, it definitely has potential to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with GTA, but we reckon another series will pip it to the post first. Ubisoft also observed how the original AC didn’t quite live up to expectations, while the sequel did just the opposite and then some – and we at PSU Towers couldn’t agree more. A sign of things to come? We certainly hope so.
GT5’s level of precision is more suited to next-generation, says dev
When it comes to developers heaping praise on their latest baby, there’s bold statements and there’s BOLD statements. This is almost certainly the latter. Indeed, Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamauchi’s claims that GT5’s level of detail wouldn’t feel out of place on next-gen gaming machines is sure to raise a few eyebrows, and certainly did here at PSU Towers. Visually, GT5 is an absolute beast of a game, though with the PS3 barely three and a half years old, there’s still a heap of untapped potential waiting to be extricated from the bowel’s of Sony’s black box that we’re sure Yamauchi and co could dip in to before we even consider the notion of next-gen machines. With developers yet to harness the full power of current-gen consoles, it’s impossible to say whether or not a game such as GT5 would be more suited to appear on PS4, since we still haven’t seen the best PS3 has to offer. One step at a time, eh Kaz?
Quantic Dream working on two new projects
Ok, so Quantic Dream isn’t working on the much-rumored PS3-exclusive Horizon, but we’re still stoked to hear the Heavy Rain developer has two new projects in the works. Furthermore, we’re even more intrigued to learn that David Cage and chums’ philosophy is still very much centred on taking risks and pushing boundaries within the industry, a mentality that achieved great success and ultimately produced one of the biggest games of this generation to date in the form of February’s Heavy Rain. We tip our hats to any company who is willing to deviate from the norm, and Quantic Dream does just that. Bring it on.
Square not sure where to take Final Fantasy next
A tricky one this, and one that’ll no doubt divide the majority of the gaming public. While a competent game in its own right, Final Fantasy XIII didn’t sit too well with long time followers of the series, with many punters expressing their distaste for its apparent westernisation – in other words, Square’s attempts to appeal to mass market consumption by introducing a more linear adventure than your typical FF outing. Critics were just as merciless in their dissection of Lightning’s epic journey, hacking and prodding away at the JRPG’s apparent inability to keep up with the times, with the general consensus being that Final Fantasy is now exceedingly dated. As for us, well, call us old fashioned but we’d just prefer it if Square returned to the explorative, non-linear approach of old; give us a sprawling World Map complete with copious amounts of secrets and goodies, a contemporary means of transportation and a gripping plot and we’re happy as Larry. With Square Enix President Yoichi Wada stewing over whether or not the franchise should become something entirely different altogether, all we can offer is an emphatic “no.” Stick to your guns, Wada – it’ll still sell like hotcakes, just as XIII did. Of course, that’s just our opinion. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
New Oddworld titles on the way
Ah, how we’ve missed Oddworld and its various (but utterly delightful) idiosyncrasies. Just as Abe hinted at earlier in the week on Twitter (no, it really is Abe himself, honest!), the classic series is set to receive an onslaught of new titles spanning multiple platforms in the near future. While details have yet to be revealed, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out we’re in for a treat when the games eventually see the light of day. Let’s hope Abe himself is due to make a comeback and assume the staring role in one of them, eh?
NPD numbers are in – PS3 shifts 304k
Ok, so the numbers weren’t quite as substantial as we had hoped – PS3 didn’t manage to top the 360 and came last in the home console race for the month. However, that’s beside the point. As highlighted by Sony in its official NPD response, the hardware manufacturer’s flagship platform has managed to clock up a total of eleven consecutive months of full on growth, and year-on-year sales for June were up a mammoth 85 percent. Not too shabby, we think you’ll agree. Furthermore, it’s hardly surprising Microsoft managed to trump PS3 for the month, seeing as how the firm had just released a new and improved Xbox 360 model; cast your mind back to last September, and you’ll find that PS3 also turned in a meaty performance upon the launch of the Slim design and price cut. Expect things to shift up a gear as Move and a plethora of triple-A PS3 software hits the shelves this autumn.