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.
See below for the past week’s top stories.
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Crytek UK in talks about making new TimeSplitters game
The 10th anniversary of the launch of PlayStation 2 has stirred many happy memories for us folks at PSU Towers, among them fond recollections of spending copious amounts of hours blasting away on the original TimeSplitters. Far away one of the best FPS series of the past decade, we’ve been itching to get our hands on the long-awaited TimeSplitters 4 for quite some time now, though what with the collapse of Free Radical back in 2008, things weren’t looking so rosy on the prospect of a sequel. However, with Crytek snapping up the studio in 2009, things looked a little more positive, more so now we’ve heard the company is actually in talks to potentially revisit the series. Apparently, the team is stewing over whether or not to make a new TimeSplitters or create a fresh IP altogether, though initial feedback from publishers is apparently optimistic in regards to the former. Needless to say, given our love for TimeSplitters, we’re crossing all our fingers and toes Crytek UK are able to muster up enough interest in creating a fresh entry in this stellar series. Given the significant fan base out there, we’re sure as hell not the only ones gagging for a fourth entry. Make it happy, boys.
Afterfall: Insanity heading to PS3 next year
Dead Space breathed new life in to the fledging Survival Horror genre upon its release two years ago, and one of our hopes to come out of the game’s success is resurgence in the number of games in the genre being churned out. From the look of things we could be in for a spike in sofa-soiling shenanigans, with Polish studio Nicolas Studios the latest developer to enter the Survival Horror market with the intriguingly-titled Afterfall: Insanity. While it won’t win any awards for originality going by what we know so far – after all, we’re dealing with yet another post-apocalyptic environment – we welcome any opportunity to revisit the genre whenever possible, especially as it sounds as if we’re dealing with foes other than the tired-but-tested zombie hordes and biological weapons normally associated with the genre. Indeed, Afterfall: Insanity sounds like an amalgamation between Fallout 3 and Dead Space, combining the nuclear-ravaged wastelands of the former with the futuristic, sci-fi shooter-based sensibilities of the latter. Sounds like the recipe for some solid scares to us, but only time will tell. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one.
Rumor: New Resident Evil title in works at Slant Six Games?
This could potentially be rather tasty indeed. Slant Six Games, who are fine crafters in the world of squad-based shooters in the SOCOM brand, working on a Resident Evil title set in Raccoon City – is any one else thinking Outbreak: File #3? Indeed, Capcom’s underrated PS2 online horror spin-off series has been begging for a next-gen overhaul on PS3, and we couldn’t think of a better time to return to the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon following the direction the franchise has taken in recent years. Okay, so it might not be Outbreak in name, but a “team –based affair” titled Resident Evil: Raccoon City sounds like a mighty familiar concept, and one we’re eager to see come in to fruition. Teaming up with a group of survivors to fight of the shambling hordes of Hades in the iconic doomed city sounds like a RE aficionados’ wet dream – and it is. Of course, the one thing on our mind whenever mention of Resident Evil comes up is what on earth has happened to the proposed RE game for PSP, which hasn’t shown its face since E3 2009- and even then all we got was a formal announcement from SCEA chief Jack Tretton, no screenshots, details, zip. Has it be cancelled? Is it Resident Evil: Raccoon City? Has it made the jump to 3DS and become what we now know as Resident Evil: Revelations? Who knows, but at last count, there now seems to be four potential RE games in the works – RE6, RE: PSP, RE: Revelations and now the mysterious RE: Raccoon City. We’re certainly hoping the latter is the Outbreak 3 in disguise we’ve been clamouring for, though. Don’t muck it up, Slant Six.
Ubisoft announces free, PS3-exclusive DLC for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Capcom’s recent decision to bring two 360-exclusive DLC packs for Dead Rising 2 left a bitter taste in the mouths of PS3 owners worldwide – especially as said content is integral to the overall plot of the zombie-slaying sequel. As such, it’s refreshing to see a big name company – in this case Ubisoft – offer PS3 owners their own, exclusive slice of DLC for one of its biggest franchises in the form of stealthy sequel Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Yep, come launch, those of you who purchase the game for Sony’s black beast will be able to pick up an exclusive slice of DLC in the form of the Copernicus Conspiracy. And best of all, it’s completely free of charge. Obviously in this day and age, exclusive third-party titles are quickly becoming a thing of the past, and as a result DLC is the only avenue possible for offering console-exclusive endeavours. Having said that, we’d simply much rather owners of all systems have an even slice of the triple-A pie, but in this case, we’re just happy to see PS3 get something a little extra to call its own.
Gran Turismo 5 enters manufacturing
We actually did a double take when we saw this story pop up online. On one hand, we’re ecstatic to finally hear that Kazunori Yamauchi’s racing extravaganza has gone gold, but on the other, we’re still a little pessimistic considering the fact the chaps at Sony have still yet to staple-gun a firm release date on the project, or at least confirm outright that it’ll see the light of day before Christmas. Furthermore, there’s been whisperings on the web via Eurogamer that the hotly anticipated racer won’t make it out in 2010, so we’re not quite ready to break out the champagne just yet. Nonetheless, the pertinent point remains – the game’s finished, it’s entered manufacturing, so a release can’t be too far off. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for the chance to see this in our stockings come Christmas Day all the same, though.
Trophy support finally coming to Metal Gear Solid 4?
Trophy integration for MGS4 remains one of the most sought after features for Sony’s black box in recent years, and while Kojima and his team have already made it clear they’re only too well aware of the mounting demand for its inclusion in the stealth-action masterpiece, nothing has been set in stone as of yet. From the look of things that looks set to change, at least, if we’re to believe a recent snapshot of the new MGS4 “Greatest Hits” box. Obviously when it comes to this sort of thing, there’s three conclusions that can be drawn; either it’s pure fabrication, a print error on Sony’s part, or the real McCoy. Officially, Trophies haven’t been confirmed for MGS4, and we haven’t been able to clap eyes on any sort of reaction from Sony or Konami bigwigs regarding this latest development. Guess we’ll have to sit tight and wait now, but we really hope this pans out. Watch this space.
Is Gran Turismo 6 in the works? “Yeah,” says Yamauchi-san
Blimey, steady there Kaz my old son! How about slapping a firm release date on GT5 before we start talking about an inevitable sequel? Fortunately, Mr. Yamauchi didn’t indulge in any premature ramblings over Gran Turismo 6, stating that it is (quite rightly) far too early to talk about a sixth instalment in the venerable racing franchise, despite confirming that Polyphony Digital has begun work on the game. Then again, this is hardly a surprise considering how arduous the development cycles have proven for past games, with a typical GT title taking anywhere between 3-4 years to get out the door. Nonetheless, Yamauchi was quick to turn the attention back on to GT5, reiterating yet again the reason for the delay was to polish the racer to absolute perfection, a statement we constantly remind ourselves of in an effort to nullify the pain of having to wait for the bloody thing to get in to our eager hands. Bottom line? We’re thrilled to hear the series will continue (not that we had our doubts, but it’s nice to know nonetheless) but for now, we just want to get our grubby mitts on GT5 before the notion of GT6 becomes a permanent fixture on the brain.
The God of War II level that finally sees the light of day
We always relish at the chance to clap eyes on some undiscovered gaming gems that ended up on the cutting room floor, especially when said gems pertain to Sony’s splendid God of War franchise. Indeed, fans of Kratos’ bloody antics were given quite the juicy morsel this week when we finally got to see senior level designer Jonathan Hawkins’ lush City of Atlantis stage in all its glory, after the decision was made to remove the sequence from God of War II. Let’s just say it was worth the wait.
Activision confirms 2011 Call of Duty as “large-scale” FPS
Hands up anyone who saw this coming a mile off? All of you? Good – we sure did. Indeed, the ubiquity of the Call of Duty brand has grown to almost choking proportions over the past few years, and as such is now being churned out every holiday season like a well-oiled machine. Once upon a time it was a new Tomb Raider every Christmas, now it’s Call of Duty. Despite being overly formulaic, the games are fundamentally bloody good fun, though credit to Activision for admitting this week that they are starting to rely on the brand a little too much to their liking. Regarding next year’s instalment, we’re still at a loss as to who will be handling development duties, and over the past few months we’ve heard rumblings of Modern Warfare 3 at Infinity Ward to a new adventure-based outing from Sledgehammer Games. Either way, it’s fairly certain Treyarch won’t be churning out next year’s entry on account of already handled 2010’s Call of Duty: Black Ops, which hits shelves this Tuesday. We could speculate to the ends of the earth as to what 2011 will bring to the series, but one thing is for certain – it’ll likely be touted as the ‘biggest entertainment launch ever’, sell by the bucket load, and still won’t likely win over any new fans. And from the look of things, this tradition is likely to continue well in to the new decade.