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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Sony confirms ‘exclusive PS3 reveal’ for next month, Uncharted 3 for VGAs reveal?
Elated? Yes. Surprised? No. Indeed, as we’ve reiterated many times before, Uncharted 3 has pretty much been on the cards ever since cheeky chappy Nathan Drake hung up his snow boots and bomber jacket in the excellent Among Thieves. After all, as voice actor Nolan North said, a sequel is just plain “common sense.” Are we getting ahead of ourselves here? Possibly. So we haven’t actually gotten official confirmation that Uncharted 3 will be shown at Sony’s anticipated event – or the VGAs, for that matter – but we think it’s a huge probability all the same. Furthermore, in regards to Sony’s planned Hollywood spectacle, Uncharted is really the only major franchise that fits the bill. We just can’t see the platform holder hosting such a significant event for a lesser known series such as Sly Cooper, for example. Plus, given that Uncharted 2 was first announced back at the VGAs in 2008, it seems entirely appropriate that the folks at Naughty Dog would opt to lift the curtains on a third instalment at the same event. Needless to say, we’re pumped, and have already conjured up a myriad of scenarios that we’d like to see Naughty Dog cover with Uncharted 3. How about Drake scouring an Egyptian ruins in the middle of the desert? Exploring Atlantis? How about a spooky European castle? Fingers crossed it isn’t all for naught and we actually get our first glimpse at the game in mid-December.
Irrational assures PS3 BioShock Infinite will be “great”
It’s no secret that the PS3 has received some decidedly shoddy ports over the years when it comes to conversions of 360 third-party games (The Orange Box and Bayonetta being two of the worst offenders), so it’s always comforting to know that big name developers are working to rectify the issue. When it comes to the subject of BioShock, the original title and its sequel were splendid games in their own right, though again many felt the PS3 versions lacked the technical polish of its 360 & PC counterparts. However, developer Irrational Games has assured fans that this won’t be the case with BioShock Infinite, stating the PS3 version won’t be a dodgy port – why? The game apparently has no lead platform to speak of. Indeed, this time around the celebrated studio has made the conscious decision to up the ante in regards to coding the PS3 release, with the technical wizards at Irrational having tweaked the game engine so that it more closely resembles a PS3’s innards. Promising news indeed, and it would be great to hear similar methods being employed by other developers across the board. As for Infinite itself, well, it’s not out until 2012 so the firm still has ample time to ensure the game measures up to our expectations, but from early impressions its already looking mighty impressive.
Rumor: Bethesda working on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion sequel
This has been a long time coming. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion hit shelves way back in 2006 (arriving on PS3 a year later), and we’ve been clamouring for a fresh entry in the franchise ever since — Oblivion was superb, after all. Rumors have been surfacing on and off for the past few years that Bethesda were working on a fifth entry in the RPG series, though the developer has clearly been busy with its post-apocalyptic endeavours in the form of Fallout 3 the past couple of years. However, it has been confirmed that the studio is working on a mystery new project, with Bethesda’s Todd Howard letting slip that the unknown title has already endured a fair amount of development time, and that we won’t have to wait too long for the game’s release when they finally let the cat out of the bag. An announcement at the VGAs next month would be the icing on the cake as far as we’re concerned (let’s face it, there’s going to be some massive reveals at the event), but we’re fairly confident the game will show its face by E3 2011 at the latest. After all, it’s been a bloody long enough wait. On a final note, while the prospect of a direct sequel to Oblivion is tantalizing, we’d be nonetheless chuffed just to see a new Elder Scrolls in general, even if it means having something completely disparate to the compelling realm of Tamriel.
Mark Wahlberg signs up for Uncharted film
We have a distinct feeling Wahlberg’s casting in Uncharted will have a similar baring to marmite – you’ll either love it, or hate it. Let’s face it; most of us were hoping that FireFly star Nathan Fillion would be stepping in to Mr. Drake’s globetrotting boots for the film adaptation of the Naughty Dog adventure, PSU Towers included. Still, Wahlberg is unquestionably a competent actor, and, regardless of what you may have thought of his efforts in May Payne, has the stones to make this work. As ever, it all depends on the script. He’s got the talent, he’s got the manly muscles required to make those impossible leaps across perilous cliffs and building tops, and he looks a bit like Drake to boot..well, sort of. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Bottom line is, providing the scriptwriters adhere to the core fundamental principles of what makes Uncharted so bloody good, Wahlberg has every chance of pulling this out of the bag. From the sounds of it, the film makers are hoping to flesh out Drake’s family background a little more, with roles supposedly being penned for Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro as relatives of the cocky treasure hunter. While this is all fine and dandy, we hope it doesn’t deviate from the source material too much – and we certainly don’t want to see potentially lacklustre characters introduced at the expense of game staples such as Sully and Elena, either.
Yamauchi “doesn’t know” if Gran Turismo 6 will hit PS3
We’ve done the math, and if Gran Turismo 6 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor (i.e., it takes a mammoth six years worth of development) then it would show up during the PS3’s tenth year on the market – whether or not PS4 will be out by then remains to be seen, but we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of this ending up a potential launch game for Sony’s next home console. Then again, given just how long GT5 took to get out the door, we’re hoping creator Kazunori Yamauchi has made the conscious decision to churn out the next iteration in his celebrated racing franchise a little quicker, which means we’ll likely see it out on PS3. Nonetheless, we highly doubt it it’ll see the light of day for a good while yet, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of GT5 as it is. And let’s be honest; it’s far too early to be broaching the subject of GT6. One step at a time, Kaz, one step at a time.
Rumor: New Resident Evil to be revealed at VGAs
Regardless of what you think of Spike’s annual Video Game Awards (and we’re acutely aware that much of the gaming community generally thinks they’re a load of old cobblers), this year’s event is shaping up to be quite the sumptuous smorgasbord of announcements. With the likes of Arkham City already confirmed and heavily-rumored appearances from Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3, it seems we’re no short of heavy hitters for the December 11 event. And from the look of things, another big name is set to join the line-up – Resident Evil. However, as much as we’d like to see Resident Evil 6 unveiled, we’re leaning more towards a PSP offering in the series, especially as we’ve heard bugger all from the elusive Resident Evil Portable since its unveiling at E3 2009. Furthermore, with Six Slant Games rumored to be working on a Resident Evil title by the name of Raccoon City, it seems likely we’ll be getting another spin-off rather than the anticipated sixth core instalment in the franchise. Not that we mind, though, as any chance to go back to the zombie infested streets of the doomed Raccoon is a huge bonus in our books. Plus, we’re big fans of RE: Outbreak here at PSU Towers, and given Six Slant’s experience with the team-based SOCOM brand, we have a feeling this could turn out pretty impressive. On the flip side, the prospect of a fully realised Raccoon City-based endeavour on PS3 is positively mouth-watering; and perhaps the nearest we’d get to receiving an eye-watering HD remake of Resident Evil 2.
AC: Brotherhood sells one million in Europe
As you can see from our review, we absolutely adored Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and going by the success of Ezio’s latest quest in Europe, it seems the feeling among PAL gamers is unanimous. Indeed, one million sales in less than seven days is nothing to be snuffed at, and neither is a whopping 20 million global sales of a brand that’s only turned three years old. By contrast, it’s taken several other triple-A franchises more than a decade to accomplish the same milestone as Assassin’s Creed, so it’s fair to say the public has fully embraced Ubisoft’s stealthy escapades. However, more intriguing is the fact Ubisoft has again reiterated that we can expect something new from the franchise to arrive in 2011, and from the sound of things, it won’t be the obligatory chunk of DLC – after all, the publisher’s described it as a ‘big Assassin’s Creed title.’ While this screams Assassin’s Creed III to us, we’re slightly sceptical on the matter seeing as how, despite its popularity, we can’t see Ubisoft bringing out a proper third game so soon. Surely they’d want to take a step back and put a little more time in to the next major outing? Of course, there’s a possibility the company is going for another Brotherhood-style outing, whereby we get a major instalment albeit without stamping an ‘III’ in the title. Or perhaps we just can’t conceive of the notion that Ubisoft is indeed planning to spoil us rotten by shoving AC III out the door by this time next year. Regardless, further info should be divulged at the beginning of 2011, so we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
Jade Raymond working on Splinter Cell 6
We’re big fans of Miss Raymond here at PSU Towers, and not simply because she happens to be decidedly easy on the eyes – after all, the Ubisoft game designer has worked on one of the biggest IPs this generation in the form of scrumptious stealth ‘em up Assassin’s Creed. As such, the fact she’s currently hard at work with the rest of the chaps down at Ubisoft Toronto on the next instalment in the Splinter Cell series has us pretty excited to say the least. After all, Raymond’s pedigree speaks for itself, and the stealth-based antics of Sam Fisher have garnered heaps of critical acclaim over the years in its various incarnations, the most recent of which sadly didn’t make it on to PS3. While platforms for Splinter Cell 6 have yet to be divulged, we’re crossing all our toes and fingers in the hopes Ubisoft will decide to unleash Fisher’s latest exploits on Sony’s flagship console this time around. After all, despite some annoying blunders, Conviction was a decent offering and we’re eager to continue the series on PS3.