As many of you are probably aware, this week kicked off the annual nerd fest that is the San Diego Comic-Con, and that means only one thing – copious amounts of gaming news. Indeed, this week hasn’t disappointed, with fresh info raising its head on DC Universe, infamous 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, plus a heap of other goodies including yet another sighting of Resistance 3 more obligatory ramblings on Hideo Kojima’s latest goings-on. Oh, and there’s the announcement of a little something by the name of Street Fighter x Tekken. Quite simply, what a week.
See below for the week’s top stories.
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Something Oddworld-related to be announced by the ‘end of July’
Last week it emerged that developer Just Add Water (what a bloody awesome name for a studio, eh?) is to revive the Oddworld franchise via a series of brand new titles spanning multiple consoles, which quite literally made our day. And everyone else’s by the look of the reaction across the web. While details were thin on the ground at the time, it now appears we may be hearing something sooner than expected, with the studio telling VG247 that we’ll get some sort of announcement at the end of July. Hopefully this will include the first concrete details on platforms, characters and other such miscellaneous info, but one thing’s for sure – we’re positively frothing at the mouth with anticipation.
Hideo Kojima developing new adventure title?
How many games has Kojima mused over making now? Four? We’ve had Zone of the Enders 3, that mysterious ‘taboo’ title (the one he mentioned may force him to retire from the industry), Metal Gear Solid 5 and now this adventure game collaboration with 5pb’s Shikura-san. Blimey, make up your mind Kojima. Still, whatever the legendary developer is up to next, it doesn’t take a Michael Pachter with a crystal ball to figure out it’ll be nothing short of extraordinary. Hopefully we’ll find out more at the Tokyo Game Show, though, ‘cuz the suspense is positively killing us.
Rush’s 2112 coming to Warrior’s of Rock: Quest Mode
Forget your Dragon Force’s, Van Halen’s and Metallica’s, Rush is where it’s at, folks. The power trio, comprised of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, have proved for nearly 40 years that they’re the cream of the crop, churning out album after album of complex time signatures, profound lyrics and all-out stellar musicianship, each member a master at his respective instrument. The fact they’ve decided to offer up 2112 for Guitar Hero: Warrior’s of Rock: Quest Mode is probably the best news we’ve heard pertaining to this franchise in what seems like bloody years. 2112 is a roaring epic; a progressive rock masterpiece rivalled from a lyrical and musical point of view only by the likes of art rock stable mates Genesis and Yes, and a track that we’re simply itching to try out. In addition, it’s also a great window of opportunity for young folk to become acquainted with this legendary band, rather than being force-fed Rush albums by your dad on a boring Sunday afternoon. You better prey you have dexterous fingers for this one, folks – you’ll need it.
Star-studded voice cast for DC Universe announced
DC Universe feels like it’s been in development since the stone-age, so any scrap of info is as positively irresistible as a tucking in to a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream solo. News of the super-hero MMO’s voice cast emerged this week, and much to our delight, includes a plethora of familiar faces, including James Marsters, Adam Baldwin and Mark Hamill. We’re particularly pleased to see that DC veteran Hamill will be voicing the Joker, while Baldwin will be slipping in to the Man of Steel’s iconic cape as Superman. From the look of things the game is shaping up to be pretty spectacular indeed, and we’ll be watching it like a hawk from here until release date.
Resistance 3 set in New York City, says retailer
As far as settings go for an apocalyptic battle between man and Chimera, New York City certainly fits the iconic necessities. Of course, the more pressing issue here is whether or not we can even expect Resistance 3 to rear its head at some point in the not too distant future, given that Insomniac hasn’t even confirmed its development yet. Still, there’s been plenty of not-so-subtle nudges; we’ve had a billboard spotted on the set of Sony’s Battle: Los Angeles, a survey asking consumers if they’d buy the game if it were released, and now this. All eyes are on Insomniac Games, who, it’s worth reminding, previously commented that it will still be making exclusive games for Sony’s black box despite having moved in to multiplatform territory earlier this year.
LittleBigPlanet gets U.S. release date, Collector’s Edition
While we’re obviously pleased that our folks across the pond will have access to a Collector’s Edition of LBP2, the game’s release raises a few alarms; after all, November 16 puts it right in the thick of the notoriously competitive holiday line-up, and perilously close to the inevitable juggernaut that is Call of Duty: Black Ops. If memory serves us right, the original LBP put in a commendable performance at retail, but didn’t ultimately achieve the success it deserved, largely down to the amount of competition it faced at the time. With the sequel set to release this November 16, we can’t help but wonder if SackBoy and chums may be in for a bumpy ride upon release. Still, perhaps we’re just being pessimistic – bottom line is, we know that LBP2 has the makings of a triple-A release and that’s all that counts.
Infamous 2’s Cole gets redesign following fan backlash
As sumptuous as inFamous 2 was looking back at E3, something didn’t quite sit right with us – or anyone else for that matter. Indeed, Sucker Punch’s decision to give protagonist Cole MacGrath a makeover just didn’t to gel, and quite frankly, seemed decidedly incongruous considering what MacGrath is supposed to be – a bald, hardened badass, and not some tattooed up, sports star-esque bloke with scruffy hair. Let it never be said that developers fail to listen to their fans, however, since thanks to the onslaught of whinging from Cole’s loyal fanbase, Sucker Punch decided to go back to the drawing board and have the electricity-charged hero resemble his original appearance more closely than his previous E3 incarnation. Thank the Lord. Of course, there are bound to be those of you who preferred his ‘new’ look – if you’re one of them, be sure to let your voice heard in the comment section below this article.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood DLC planned
Ok, so maybe it’s a little early to break out the champagne since we don’t even know what type of DLC is on the horizon, but anything that elongates Ezio’s swansong epic is a plus in our books.
Street Fighter x Tekken revealed
GameInformer’s industry sources were bang on the money with this much to our delight, with Capcom and Namco taking to the stage at Comic-Con on Saturday and officially unveiling the long rumored Capcom v Namco – or to be more accurate, Street Fighter x Tekken. Footage was also displayed at the event, showcasing Street Fighter veterans Ryu and Chun-Li facing off against Tekken’s moody Kazuya Mishima and sultry assassin Nina Williams in a tag-in style match similar to Marvel vs Capcom. But enough of our ramblings – check out the footage below for yourself.