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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Insomniac doesn’t think Resistance 3 will be the last in the series
Our immediate response to this? We bloody hope not. Resistance is a firm favourite here at PSU Towers, and one of the most underrated IP’s of this generation in our humble opinion. Furthermore, given the fact PS3 is going to be around for quite some time, the notion that the Resistance series could potentially wrap up in the year 2011 – a mere half way through the platform’s lifecycle – seems entirely inconceivable. However, while we’re still itching to continue the fight against the Chimera, we definitely don’t want to see some Call of Duty brand milking here, so as long as the chaps at Insomniac keep up the quality by tactically bringing out a new Resistance game every couple of years, we’ll be pleased as punch. Quality over quantity, after all, and the brand has years to flourish. Here’s to another five + years of Chimera stomping.
PS3 Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be the same as 360 version
With the cost of development rising on a yearly basis, multi-format releases from third party companies have become a bread-and-butter practice in this day and age. Annoyingly, however, the PS3 has become notorious for receiving less-than-stellar ports of 360 titles over the past couple of years, the most recent offenders being that of Bayonetta and Assassin’s Creed II. As such, it’s refreshing to hear that Ubisoft has attempted to rectify any dodgy PS3 antics with its latest effort, AC: Brotherhood, with the company stating the game runs not only on par with its 360 counterpart, but in some areas, the frame rate is actually notably improved on Sony’s black box. Rightly so, as there should be no reason why PS3 owners should receive substandard ports as the platform enters its fourth year on the market. More pertinently, it seems companies are now utilizing our beloved black behemoth as the base console for multi-format games, with Platinum Games being the most recent example following its heavily criticised handling of the aforementioned Bayonetta. Indeed, we hope the days of tacky PS3 translations are well and truly behind us. If not, then companies need to take a leaf out of Ubisoft’s book – and fast.
Capcom talks Dino Crisis, Onimusha
We’ve been itching to get our hands on a new Dino Crisis or Onimusha title for what seems like an age now; after all, next to Resident Evil, both franchises remained very much a staple in the action/adventure scene during the early-mid 2000s, and have been sorely missed. In particular, Dino Crisis is begging for a follow-up in wake of the frankly disastrous outing that was the third game, where Capcom made the ludicrous decision to shift the action hundreds of years in the future onboard a Dino-infested space station. The end result? An appalling, and utterly unnecessary shooter that was completely disparate from the original PlayStation classics, effectively shutting the doors on the franchise for good. As such, we think it’s about time Capcom returned to the roots of the series for a new generation and bring back the original cast, locations and Survival Horror themes attributed to the original Dino Crisis, skipping the action-orientated antics of the competent yet less-than-scary sequel.
Yamauchi admits GT5 ‘briefly drops’ below 60fps
While we agree with Yamauchi-san that frame rate is an important component in any decent racing romp, the fact that Gran Turismo 5 has still yet to attract a release date after numerous delays has us almost adopting a ‘not that fussed’ attitude at this point in time. So, the game dips below 60fps on the odd occasion – is this honestly that much of a surprise? After all, with a game that’s as sumptuous looking and pushing as many pixels as GT5, we’d expect a few hiccups along the way, especially when you take in to account factors such as weather effects and whatnot. We admire Polyphony Digital’s ambition to craft the most “perfect” racing experience possible, but it’s this philosophy that has seen the game stuck in development hell for the past year or so, and given they admitted the title could have been released months ago as it is, we just want to get our hands on the bloody thing regardless or whether it’s not quite up to the immaculate standards that Yamauchi and co. are expecting.
Insomniac: Our team uses PS3 SPU’s ‘more effectively than anyone else’
Insomniac’s Ted Price didn’t beat around the bush when it came to extolling the virtues of its engine team this week, and while we’re inclined to agree they’re a talented bunch, we still think the chaps at Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch could give them a run for their money when it comes to working the intricacies of the PS3’s innards. After all, Uncharted 2 and inFamous are among the most highly lauded technical achievements on Sony’s black box, and while Resistance and Ratchet & Clank are certainly up there, we wouldn’t want to proclaim who is the best of the bunch. Clearly Insomniac is proud of its accomplishments – and rightly so – but the real test will be to see how the likes of Resistance 3 squares up against the inevitable Uncharted 3. One thing is for sure though, the PS3 is home to some of the most talented studios in the business, and in Insomniac’s case we’re just thankful they are still churning out PS3 exclusives in light of their concurrent commitment to multiformat development.
Uncharted 3 mentioned by UAE Media Company
Uncharted 3. We know it’s coming. You know it’s coming. And going by this latest story, it now appears Nathan Drake’s third treasure hunting extravaganza will be trimmed in Arab countries in an effort to avoid it being banned outright. Bad news for gamers over there, but at least it’ll see the light of day, which can only be a good thing. And besides, more pertinently, this all but confirms that the game is in development. Indeed, smart money says that the project Naughty Dog has said is “too far along” in development to incorporate PlayStation Move functionality is none other than Uncharted 3. Combine this with the fact voice actor Nolan North labelled a sequel as “common sense” and we reckon it’s not too optimistic to expect an official unveiling by the end of the year. And we can’t bloody wait.
SEGA confirms Space Channel 5: Part Two, Sega Bass Fishing for PSN/XBL
Okay, so we’ll admit we were keeping our fingers crossed that Shenmue 1 & 2 would be next in line for a PSN makeover as far as Dreamcast classics are concerned, but that doesn’t mean to say cult outings Space Channel 5 and Sega Bass Fishing are any less tantalizing. The former in particular is a prime example of the innovative and quirky qualities that SEGA’s ill-fated white box possessed; an inherently crazy Japanese dance romp that’s positively compelling and an absolute blast to play. Likewise, Bass Fishing is another representative of the diverse software available on the platform, and while likely to bore the pants off anyone other than fishing aficionados, it’s still a competent effort if you’re in to that sort of thing. Truth be told though, Space Channel 5: Part Two is the one to watch, and we hope SEGA is willing to show this kind of commitment to future re-releases. After all, the DC is packed with such idiosyncratic software offerings and we’d love to see more of them pop up on PSN, especially those that weren’t fortunate to see the light of day outside of Japan. Just get Shenmue here first boys, eh?
Parasite Eve confirmed for PSN release
This has been on the cards for quite some time given the amount of Twitter teasing the folks at Square Enix have been churning out the past few months, but at last, we’ve got an official confirmation to sink our teeth in to. With The 3rd Birthday due out early next year, we couldn’t think of a better time to reacquaint ourselves with the likes of Aya Brea and the Parasite Eve universe by indulging in a spot of 32-bit horror goodness with the original PlayStation classics, more so if you haven’t actually had the pleasure of experiencing the games themselves yet. Here’s a tip – there’re bloody fantastic. As it stands Square hasn’t clarified whether both PS1 Parasite Eve classics will be making the transition to Sony’s online service, but we reckon it’s very likely both games will make the jump. Regardless, we’re pumped.
SCEA: We shipped one million Move units in North America and Latin America
We’ve been hearing quite a few varying opinions surrounding the success of PlayStation Move these past few weeks, with numerous analysts pinning the launch of the new peripheral a resounding triumph (Lazard Captial Markets) to the less optimistic findings of Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter. However, from what both SCEA and SCEE have divulged on the matter, it would seem that, unequivocally, the firm’s motion-sensing controller was met with a warm reception at retail across the globe. Indeed, while Move has been met with mixed response among hardcore gamers – and those of you who read our launch coverage will know doubt be aware some of the launch software left a lot to be desired – the device is obviously appealing to a whole new demographic, which equals big bucks for Sony. And, unlike the early days of Nintendo’s Wii, the hardware manufacturer isn’t skimping on quality triple-A titles at the expense of churning out second rate wand-waggling endeavours to market, with ample hardcore offerings on the horizon to look forward to between now and early 2011. As long as PS3 continues to adhere to this release strategy, those of us who aren’t fussed about motion-controls (and we’ll admit we aren’t overly enthusiastic on the idea) can sleep easy.