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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3D support confirmed for Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
Sony’s been lobbing coal into its 3D support train pretty furiously as of late, with a number of the hardware manufacturer’s biggest triple-A efforts confirmed to include the swanky tech. R&T: All 4 One’s the latest in what is sure to be a long line of exclusives to support the feature, a move that I’m pretty delighted to see. Sure, I’ve not yet sampled the delights of 3D gaming, but the fact so many titles are making use of the technology means ample opportunity to give it a go later down the line. After doing a bit of digging around, it seems most punters are pretty chuffed with how the likes of Killzone 3 and others have handled 3D support, which can only be a good thing for the chaps at Sony HQ. Now, if only those 3D TVs would come down in price, it’d give regular Joes such as myself a chance to make the transition into the third dimension. Just a pity we have to put up with those dodgy looking glasses, though.
Pachter: U.S. Kinect sales outstripping PS Move by 5:1
I’m not going to sugar coat anything here. Sony’s foray into motion-sensing shenanigans with PlayStation Move hasn’t exactly got off to a massive start. Kinect is vastly outselling the wand-waggling device, that much is abundantly clear. And if I’m honest, I’m not surprised in the least. I’ve never been one to shy away from the fact I’m not a big fan of motion-controls – my Wii has been collecting dust for the past six months or so now – but I’ll doff my cap to Microsoft in this case; Kinect at least offers something a little different. Move, in contrast, seems to me like an obvious attempt on Sony’s part to emulate the success of the Wii mote, a peripheral that’s resulted in grannies and girls alike all jumping on the videogame bandwagon. However, while I can’t blame Sony for dipping its toes into this market, it hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. The Wii’s been around for nearly five years, Move doesn’t really offer any discernible difference from my experience with it (and from what I’ve read, the same can be said about other gamers’ opinions on the matter), while Kinect clearly does its best to differentiate itself from the competition. If you ask me, Sony’s still in need of that Move-exclusive, triple-A offering that will set it apart from its contemporaries. When that happens, then maybe people will sit up and take notice.
Bethesda unveils Prey 2
If like me you never had the privilege of playing the PC original, you might be quick to initially slap a ‘meh’ sticker on news that Human Head Studios is bringing the sequel to PlayStation 3 (as well as other formats) next year. However, broach the subject of Prey to any PC gamer, and it’ll soon become abundantly clear why many gamers are treating this as the next best thing since sliced bread. The inaugural shooter was for many – and no doubt still is – one of the finest sci-fi shooters on the market, featuring then-top notch visuals and a captivating plot. Sure, the multiplayer was a bit naff by today’s standards, but overall, the game received meaty reviews and even cemented itself as one of the most influential games of the decade. In particular, Prey is also noteworthy for having endured a decidedly arduous development cycle rivalled only by the likes of Duke Nukem Forever, having been in the works for just over a decade upon its release in 2006.
Final ruling emerges: No Mortal Kombat for Australia
Australia is notorious for feeling the full force of the ban hammer when it comes to the release of explicit content in the region, and so I’m hardly surprised to see Mortal Kombat’s been refused a rating. Having said that, I’m gutted for our Aussie friends who won’t be able to experience what is shaping up to be one of the finest and bloodiest MK outings to date. Even worse, obviously, is the fact any attempt sneak a copy into the country via import will be met with swift retribution in the form of a meaty fine to pay. Indeed, I’m trying to adopt a glass half full approach to the whole affair, but there really isn’t one; I suppose one notion to consider, however, is the fact that any potential release of the beat ‘em up down under would have been heavily trimmed in comparison to the U.S. or U.K. release. After all, what’s MK without its fatalities and copious claret-spraying antics? Nonetheless, a sad state of affairs.
L.A. Noire main story clocks in at 25-30 hours
Being one of my most anticipated games of 2011, I’m chuffed to learn that L.A. Noire is going to be as big of an experience as I was hoping for. 30 hours is bang on for a game of this calibre in my opinion, and of course, this is only taking into consideration the main story – there’s heaps of side quests to tackle on the side, plus DLC to boot. Admittedly I’m not much of a follower of Grand Theft Auto, but the prospect of soaking up a meticulously realised recreation of 1940s Los Angeles and playing on the right side of the law for a change is simply too good of an opportunity to miss out on. And then there’s those scrumptious facial animations; I never thought I’d be so excited to stare at someone’s ugly digitalized mug for hours on end. Bring it on.
MotorStorm: Apocalypse delayed in U.K.
Frankly, the writing’s been on the wall for the past few days as far as Apocalypse’s U.K. release goes. With the horrific earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan, it’s hardly surprising that Sony’s decided to postpone the racer; after all, the game depicts numerous scenes of mass destruction, including one stage that’s set right slap bang in the middle of a tsunami. Indeed, it’s all a little too close to home as far as folk in Japan go, and as Steven Williamson noted in his article on the subject, is particularly hard hitting given recent events. Quite when the game will show up is anyone’s guess, though frankly the whole affair simply pales into insignificance when you attempt to comprehend just what the people of Japan are going through right now.
3D ‘could become the norm,’ says Sony U.K. boss
While it’ll no doubt be a long slog, I personally think that Ray Maguire’s on the money with this. Indeed, just as HD TVs started to gather pace back in the mid-2000s before cementing itself as a standard in home entertainment viewing, 3D-compatible devices will undoubtedly follow suite, with the feature already a staple in cinemas. As mentioned though, it won’t happen anytime soon, with 3D adoption rates at least in the U.K. currently pretty underwhelming. No doubt it will take a few good price cuts and some heavy marketing on the manufacturer’s part to push consumer interest in the tech through the roof. However, the fact Sony is pushing the feature down our throats by including stereoscopic 3D support in many of its major software releases will surely go a long way in facilitating 3D uptake.
PS3 is ‘better than anything’ anyone’s made, bar Xbox 360 says Carmack
No doubt a fair chunk of our readers will likely beg to differ with that comment, Carmack, but fair play to the guy for being honest, I suppose. Still, when it comes to PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s apples and oranges as far as I’m concerned. I own both, and dedicate as much time to each platform as I can – both of them are fine machines in their own right. But that’s another story altogether, and frankly, these days it’s like beating a dead horse. Plus, let’s face it – getting a pat on the back by a legend like Carmack is pretty major, regardless of the fact he might favour the competition’s hardware. Still, his comments about the state of games development is something I think we can all agree on; companies are no longer bogged down by fiddly architecture as seen in the Saturn or even PlayStation 2, and it bodes well for the future of the industry as a whole.
Ubisoft survey estimates NGP price at $250 – $350
While I usually recommend taking these things with a pinch of salt, i’ll admit that $250 – $350 does sound like an entirely conceivable price tag for Sony’s new handheld. NGP’s a meaty piece of kit after all, and in this case I think that price would be justified. Whether or not Sony will go down this route remains to be seen, but I honestly can’t see it costing any less than $250, certainly not when you consider the survey’s estimated price range translates to roughly £156 – £218. Somehow, this seems a little too good to be true, especially when one considers the original PSP came in at around a similar price on launch. And, with NGP packing considerably more clout under its pint-sized hood than its predecessor, I would expect to pay a fair bit over 200 quid for a brand-spanking new handheld.
Sony says it ‘doesn’t make sense’ to ditch standard gamepads
Personally, I’m relieved to hear this. Indeed, while the general consensus on the subject of PlayStation 4 is that it won’t see the light of day anytime soon, it’s good to know that Sony wouldn’t consider replacing bog-standard gamepads in favour of motion-controlled devices. I’m no big fan of wand-waggling controls, and would personally dislike the idea of having it shoved down my throat as the only method of on-screen manipulation. While I don’t expect Sony to always adhere to its tired and tested DualShock template for future iterations of gaming consoles, as long as they still allow gamers to grasp a trusty old pad in the palm of their hands, I’m happy as Larry. As Dr Richard Marks says, it doesn’t make sense to only give players one control option, especially when some titles are better tailored to one type of input than another. Yep, as the Van Halen number goes, it’s all about the ‘Best of Both Worlds.’
Heavy Rain bags three BAFTAs
Congratulations to David Cage and chums at Quantic Dream – if ever there was a game so deserving of BAFTA recognition, it’s Heavy Rain. Sure, it may not have walked away with meaty Best Game award (Mass Effect 2 saw to that), but nabbing a whopping three gongs is nothing to turn your nose at. And they were pretty substantial categories too, namely that of Original Music, Technical Innovation and Story. Indeed, these are three areas where I think we can all agree that Heavy Rain excelled in, particularly the narrative side of things, which for me offered one of the most compelling, emotional stories seen in a videogame to date. Props to God of War III meanwhile for scooping Artistic Achievement, though I’m still amazed that Rockstar stubbornly refused to submit Red Dead Redemption – no doubt things would have been considerably different if the Wild West extravaganza had shown its face. That aside, a great night, and a top job by comedian Dara O’ Brianin for presenting the shindig.
Crytek reiterates that Crysis 2 is the same on PS3, 360
These days, whenever there’s a massive sequel on the horizon arriving on multiple platforms, you can be pretty much guaranteed of two things: 1) near-insurmountable hype and visual/performance comparisons. Crysis 2 is no different, having already been subjected to a gruelling dissection upon the release of a multiplayer demo this week. The result? Apparently, the PS3 version is inferior to its Xbox 360 counterpart. Cue a mass backlash of fanboy hysteria, culminating in developer Crytek stepping up to the plate to set the record straight. And, as previously stated, the developer is standing by its assertion that there are “no meaningful” differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the anticipated sci-fi shooter. I can’t really comment, having not seen either game side-by-side, but I’d like to think we’ve left the days of shoddy PS3 ports behind us, with developers now seemingly making an effort to offer a quality experience for owners of both platforms.
Square to open new studio to prepare for next-consoles
Blimey, Square aren’t mucking about are they? Depending on who you ask, next-generation platforms are either going to be showing their faces in the next couple of years – circa 2013 to be precise – or perhaps not at all. Obviously Square’s decision to open the doors on a new studio dedicated to fresh hardware speaks volumes as to the chances of seeing a PlayStation 4, Wii 2 or Xbox 720 in the next few years, but officially, current-gen machines are still going to be the frontrunners for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft for the next five years or so. Nonetheless, we’ve already had a glimpse at some sumptuous next-gen technology in recent weeks, with Epic Games beating its chest in the form of the new Unreal Engine among others, so who knows wha the Big Three have up their sleeves. Regardless, the next few years should be pretty exciting.
Feast your eyes on the Mortal Kombat Kollector’s Edition
Now we’re talking! As if this year’s eponymous and very bloody Mortal Kombat reboot wasn’t enough of a reason to have us frothing at the mouth, Warner’s now given us two: a Kollector’s Edition. Available for a not-too-wallet-draining sum of £49.99, this sumptuous set includes two intricately detailed figures – namely, Scorpion and Sub-Zero – plus a heap of other goodies including custom avatars, an art book and in-game retro costumes. So far this appears to be exclusive to the U.K. (and furthermore, available only at GAME and GameStation), though I expect something similar to be announced for our friends across the pond soon enough. If not, then be jealous. Be very jealous, chaps.
Sony delays MotorStorm: Apocalypse in North America
I figured it was only a matter of time before Sony decided to postpone the U.S. release of Evolution Studios’ latest off-road racer, and sure enough, they have. Surprising? Not in the least. Already we’ve seen a number of projects in Japan outright cancelled in wake of the horrific earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit the region little more than a week ago, with numerous other games being pushed back to boot. Given the very nature of Apocalypse – which as we pointed out earlier in the week, features a stage where you are driving straight through a tsunami – you can’t really argue with the decision. Given the timing of the game’s release, it would have been a rather insensitive move to get the product on store shelves. Again, we encourage any of you who can spare the cash to help donate to the continuing relief effort – see our news post for full details on how you can do your bit.