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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Next year’s SSX is perhaps the most anticipated franchise reboot this side of Tomb Raider (though I’m sure Devil May Cry is up there too), and as such many folk will be eager to see what EA Canada comes up with. Reboots are a tricky thing to pull off, and when you’ve got a tenaciously loyal fan base who want to devourer every morsel possible, then going back to the drawing board is a quite a mammoth task. So far though SSX is shaping up rather nicely, and from the look of things we’ll be able to get a taster of things prior to launch, as EA’s confirmed that a demo is on the cards. No other details are known, but with the game launching in January, a pre-Christmas launch isn’t entirely out of the question. Fingers crossed.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 due out in North America in January 2012
Square’s finally narrowed down a U.S. date for Final Fantasy XIII-2, confirming the sequel will show up across the pond in January 2012. This is an improvement over the slightly ambiguous ‘early 2012’ window that has been doing the rounds since E3, though an exact date still continues to remain elusive. Presumably, this will change come GamesCom or Tokyo Game Show, and I imagine the January date applies to Europe too, though the Twitter post only mentions North America. While it would be spiffing to get our hands on the game prior to Christmas, I think it’s wise of Square to shove it into next year, as this holiday season is jam-packed enough with heavy hitters as it is. Frankly, I don’t think it’s possible for the likes of Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Modern Warfare 3, Arkham City AND FF XIII-2 to share the spotlight this year.
Ubisoft boss says next-gen platforms are ‘coming soon’
Blimey, how about giving PS3 and 360 the long life they deserve already? Alas, it seems the next-gen chatter shows no signs of slowing down, with Ubisoft again stepping into the spotlight to fly the flag for arrival of PS4 and the next-box. This isn’t the first time the publishing powerhouse has blown its horn over new hardware either; Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot previously said that he wants next-gen consoles on the market ‘sooner rather than later’ in order to drive innovation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for new hardware and love nothing more than tucking into all the gossip and hype surrounding a console launch – I’ve been doing that for nearly two decades now. However, I still feel that the time isn’t right for a successor to PS3 and 360 to arrive on the scene. PS3 itself hasn’t even passed its fifth anniversary yet, and to be honest one could argue it’s only just hit its stride. With developers like Naughty Dog showing that there’s still plenty more to be squeezed out of Sony’s black behemoth, it would be premature to shove a new piece of kit down our throats. Furthermore, while Guillemot feels that Wii U will pressure Sony and Microsoft to roll out new platforms sooner than anticipated, I’m not so sure this is the case at all. If anything, Wii U is ostensibly Nintendo playing catch-up rather than inaugurating a new generation of consoles; realistically, I still firmly believe we won’t see PS4 or Xbox 720 until 2014.
BioWare: ‘no drop in quality’ between PS3, 360 Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3 is being developed side-by-side for all three platforms (PC, PS3 and 360) so you’d expect the likes of BioWare to be able to ensure there are no discernible differences between the trio. Fortunately the company felt compelled to hammer that home this week, insisting players shouldn’t be able to spot any blemishes between the PS3 and 360 versions of the epic sci-fi sequel. While I’m chuffed to hear this, I’m not really all that surprised, as I think it’s fair to say the industry has evolved beyond the days of shoddy PS3 ports that plagued Sony’s machine back in its early days. Then again, a couple of them do creep through the net now and then, such as last year’s Bayonetta and Fallout: New Vegas. With Mass Effect 3 however, it looks like we’ll be getting nothing short of a quality product.
LittleBigPlanet Vita dev now Sony-exclusive developer
The more developers Sony can notch up on its bed post the better, and it seems the hardware manufacturer has been seducing yet another top-tier studio as of late, namely Double Eleven, the company behind LittleBigPlanet Vita. This is great news, not only because the game is looking mighty fine, but when you consider the pedigree of Double Eleven – namely, the fact they’re ex-Rockstar Leeds employees – then snuggling up to Sony seems like a match made in heaven. Interestingly, the press blurb says Double Eleven will focus predominantly on Vita software, so hopefully we’ll be getting some fresh IP. Still, a few more LBP games wouldn’t go a miss either, especially as Media Molecule is moving on from SackBoy and chums for the foreseeable future.
The Darkness II dev claims PS3 is ‘a pain in the ass to work on’
Five years is a pretty lengthy time in the world of videogames; after all, back in the day, half a decade was roughly how long you’d expect a console to remain on the market before its successor nudged it aside. With PS3 though, that’s apparently how long it takes some companies – specifically Darkness II studio DigitalExtremes – to get to grips with the machine’s notoriously tricky architecture. And according to game director Marvin Donald, Sony’s black beast is still a ‘pain in the ass to work on’ to this day. Still, it should be remembered that Donald’s comments weren’t as scathing as those we’ve heard in the past, and this is the first of any remotely negative words we’ve heard on PS3 for some time now. Furthermore, as I mentioned elsewhere, multiplatform efforts on Sony’s flagship console seem far more competent these days than they were just a couple of years ago.
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded announced
Bond’s videogame outings have been a decidedly hit and miss affair as of late, though last year’s Wii shooter GoldenEye 007 proved to be the British spy’s most competent entry in years. Not surprising, since the game itself is a reimagining of the most acclaimed 007 videogame to date, namely Rare’s 1997 masterpiece GoldenEye. The film wasn’t half bad, either. Still, being a Wii exclusive at the time, it meant that owners of high-definition consoles were missing out on the secret agent’s celebrated shooter, and had to make do instead with the frankly substandard Blood Stone. Not anymore though, as Activision’s confirmed the game will be heading to PS3 and 360 later this year, under the new moniker GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. It won’t just be a straight port either, with HD visuals, extra missions and PS Move support for the PS3 release also part of the package. Bond fanatics will want to keep an eye out for this for sure.
Bonus content featured in ICO & Shadow of the Colossus
Those of you who are planning on grabbing the HD revamps of ICO & Shadow of the Colossus (and let’s face it, why wouldn’t you?) will be getting more than just a fresh coat of paint and Trophy support. Yep, the duo’s PS3 rebirth will also include a bevy of bonus content for your consumption, including some XMB themes and heaps of as-of-yet unnamed video content for both games as well as future classic The Last Guardian. Sounds good to me.
Freddy Krueger coming to Mortal Kombat as DLC
DLC rarely takes the spotlight in these weekly retrospectives, but in the case of Mortal Kombat’s latest chunk of post-release pleasures, horror legend Freddy Krueger deserves some recognition. I mean, come off it , it’s Freddy Kruger; only one of the most iconic cinematic villains to grace our screens in the past two decades. Combine the Nightmare on Elm Street creep’s lust for blood and gore with Mortal Kombat’s inherent claret-spraying qualities and you’ve got a match made in heaven…or should that be hell? Ed Boon obviously agrees too, as he said that the reason the dream stalker was included is because he ‘seemed like the best fit.’ Regardless, this is possibly the neatest guest appearance since Link turned up in Soul Calibur II. Bring it on.
Rumor – Capcom to unveil Resident Evil 6 at TGS?
Capcom’s celebrating Resident Evil’s 15th anniversary this year, and what better way to commemorate a decade and a half of zombie-slaying action than announcing the next numbered entry in the franchise? To be fair, the firm has pushed the boat out quite a bit so far, confirming plans for a 15th anniversary box set in Japan, plus the release of upcoming HD revamps of RE4 & Code: Veronica as well as squad-shooter Operation Raccoon City. Nonetheless, RE6 is what all the fans are itching to get a glimpse at, and if a leaked logo from Comic-Con is to be believed, Capcom looks set to lift the lid on the game at TGS in a few months. Speaking as a RE fan of 14 years however (yep, I’ve been with the series nearly from the start), I really hope we see a return to form, with focus on ammo conservation, exploration, taxing riddles and, of course, zombies. I’ve had enough obtuse, pitchfork-wielding villagers to last me a lifetime, so give me the shambling Hordes of Hades and crank up the fear factor and I’ll be happy as Larry. Fingers crossed.