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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Bowling: No prestige edition of Modern Warfare 3
Interestingly the team at PSU were discussing this very topic in our latest podcast (which I’m sure you have all listened to multiple times now in sheer awe), and the general consensus among the staff was that Modern Warfare 3 would surely get a Prestige Edition. Alas, our prediction went down like a lead balloon, with Infinity Ward mouthpiece Robert Bowling confirming that fans will have to make do with the Hardened Edition to get their super SKU fix. This is surprising given the brand’s popularity, especially after the company rolled out the red carpet for the game’s predecessor – remember MW2’s Prestige Edition completed with functioning night goggles? Regardless, the Hardened Edition for the hotly-anticipated military shooter is certainly no slouch, packing in a free 12-month subscription to Call of Duty Elite. Still, with the monumental online following that the franchise boasts, this is surely going to be an essential investment for hardcore players and newcomers alike.
Hideo Kojima still wants to make Zone of the Enders 3
Esteemed game designer Hideo Kojima dropped a particularly painful teaser over the weekend, when he let slip that a third Zone of the Enders game was in development at one point. For those of you wondering what all the fuss is about, just let it be said that ZoE 3 stands probably shoulder-to-shoulder with Shenmue 3 as one of the most requested sequels of a cult franchise of recent memory. Indeed, fans have been clamouring for a follow-up to the mech combat romp for years now, so Kojima’s assertion that he wants to make it eventually is one of the biggest breakthroughs we could have got. Sure, it was a colossal disappointment that the game wasn’t announced at TGS like so many had hoped, but the fact Mr. Metal Gear wants to churn out a third game at some point is enough of a reason to bring out the party hats. Then again, with Kojima’s schedule – no one really knows what he’s even working out right now – it could half a decade until we see it. Still, I’m hoping that the forthcoming ZoE HD Collection will reignite enough interest in the series for Kojima to speed things up a bit. If anything, he’s well aware that punters in Japan are practically salivating like a rabid hellhound for a new game, given the sheer amount of people who turned up for the ZoE panel at TGS.
SCE President promises Vita updates will be worth their while
We love our PS3’s but let’s face it – the Firmware updates are an intrusive pain in the arse. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve wanted to hop online for a few matches of Tekken 6 with a mate, only to have to download a lengthy update and install it, wasting valuable time. Fortunately, Sony’s pledged improvements in regards to updates for its new PlayStation Vita handheld, with SCE Worldwide Studios big cheese Shuhei Yoshida promising they’ll be ‘less annoying than those on its big brother. This is a no-brainer for any potential Vita owner, and as Yoshida rightly pointed out, when you can only dedicate a small amount of time to playing games in the week, the last thing you want to do is to have updates potentially eat up half your gaming session.
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations on PS3 receives a nostalgic bonus
PS3 owners have even more incentive to pick up Ezio’s latest stab-‘em-up sequel this November, with Ubisoft confirming that day one copies of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will contain the original 2007 entry in the celebrated historical adventure series. A surprising move, but definitely a tick in the plus column for Sony’s black box, and yet another reason to plump for the PS3 version over its 360 or PC counterpart. Traditionally, PS3 extras have swayed punters off the fence to the Sony side, as evidenced in games such as Mortal Kombat (Kratos being an exclusive character) and L.A. Noire (exclusive DLC). If nothing else, it’ll act as an ideal investment for those who jumped on board with ACII and have yet to acquaint themselves with Altair’s adventure, and a nice refresher if you haven’t taken Assassin’s Creed 1 for a spin in a while.
Homefront sequel confirmed, will be developed by Crytek
Homefront was an ambitious shooter to say the least, but didn’t quite resonate with critics as much as developer Kaos had hoped for. Nonetheless, the game pulled in the punters, ultimately becoming a pretty meaty financial success for publisher THQ. A sequel was inevitable, but unfortunately, wouldn’t be helmed by Kaos after the studio shut up shop earlier this year. However, THQ announced this week that FPS stalwarts Crytek would be helming the as-of-yet-unnamed follow-up, which is due out in the publisher’s fiscal year 2014 for consoles and PC. This is great news, as you only have to look at Crytek’s pedigree in the shape of the Crysis series to know they’re more than up to the task. Quite what they have up their sleeves for the sequel remains to be seen, but I’m expect a few shakeups to say the least.
Dead Space 3 confirmed by video leak?
Every man and his dog knows there’s going to be a Dead Space 3, but for now at least the sequel remains unconfirmed. Or does it? Rumors have been circulating on the game for months now, and EA Games label boss Frank Gibeau has heavily indicated that a third game is on the way on more than one occasion. However, this week things kicked up a gear when footage from an Israeli news show cropped up online depicting EA’s California studio, and crucially, what appears to be a Dead Space 3 logo. Theories on the footage’s authenticity aside, I think most of us are expecting EA to lift the veil on a third outing in the celebrated sci-fi horror series, hopefully in the not-too-distant future. Nonetheless, in this day and age of sequels being churned out faster than MacDonald’s serves up greasy burgers, I would like to think that developer Visceral Games takes their time on this, and hopefully brings a few new surprises to the table to keep things fresh. Dead Space 2 was superb, and proved a far greater commercial success than its predecessor, but that’s no reason to whip out a cut-and-paste follow-up.
Sony Santa Monica working on new IP
If you’re to believe all the latest Internet gossip, then God of War developer Sony Santa Monica is busy chiselling away on a couple of projects at present, among which includes none other than God of War 4. In addition, we’ve also heard murmurs of a new PS3-exclusive IP, and it’s the latter that has reared its head yet again this week following a job advertisement posted on Gamasutra. Apparently, the studio cited experience in ‘open-world games’ as an advantage, seemingly indicating that they’re going down another path entirely to Kratos’ comparatively linear, blood-drenched hack-n-slashing. I say bring it on, as it would be nice to see such an esteemed developer get their feet wet in an area that is completely disparate to its last few games, though quite what they have up their sleeves is anyone’s guess right now. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one to say the least.
Prepare to get trolled if you are playing Dark Souls early
Demon’s Souls was a brutal game like no other, and the fact that developer From Software has pledged to make the spiritual successor, Dark Souls, just as bone crushingly punishing is already enough to give us nightmares. However, the company has something particularly nasty in mind for early adopters who happen to nab a copy via retailers who decide to break the street date – in the form of a thorough arse kicking from maxed out Black Phantoms. Yep, if you happen to take the dastardly difficult RPG for a spin earlier than expected, be prepared for a world of hurt as you square up against a level 145, 1900 HP brute. Given that many retailers love to roll copies out the door a few days (sometimes up to a week) early, this is certainly a lesson punters aren’t going to forget in a hurry. And who said the early bird catches the worm?
Sony unveils Uncharted 3 320GB PS3 bundle
Uncharted 3 is unequivocally one of the most eagerly anticipated games on any platform this year, let alone Sony’s beastly telly box. Given the game’s massive pulling power, it’s understandable that the console maker would want to ensure the Naughty Dog adventurer attracts plenty of new adopters over to camp Sony, and that’s exactly what they’ve done in the shape of a rather tasty looking Uncharted 3 PS3 bundle. Whether you fancy upgrading to a sexy slim or are hopping on board the PS3 bandwagon for the first time, you’d be hard pressed to find a better started point than with a meaty 320GB machine, a copy of Uncharted 3 and a handy month’s subscription to PlayStation Plus. Of course, this is strictly U.S.-only for the time being, though we’ve fired off an email to Sony Europe to see if they’re going to do something similar for PAL regions. Stay tuned.
PS3 bags week long exclusivity for Battlefield 3 expansion
Xbox 360 has been gobbling up a substantial chunk of timed-exclusivity on DLC on the shooter market lately, primarily thanks to its sleeping arrangement with Activision on Call of Duty post-launch goodies. However, developer DICE confirmed this week that PS3 will be getting expansion packs for rival blaster Battlefield 3 a full week in advance over any other format. Not to pee on anyone’s parade, I honestly don’t think a week’s exclusive DLC is anything to write home about, especially when you consider how lengthy 360 timed-exclusive goodies are (at least a month at last count). Sure, it’s a nice coup for Sony to grab some post-launch pleasures for such a high profile game ahead of the pack, but at the end of the day I feel it would just be better for everyone to receive the content on the same day – that way, everyone is happy.
Ninja Theory: Do not expect a sequel to Enslaved
It’s no secret that post-apocalyptic buddy adventure Enslaved: Odyssey to the West didn’t exactly pull in the punters following its release last October. Despite this, the game attracted favourable reviews from critics, and maintains a cult following to this day who are clamouring for a follow-up. For a time, it sounded somewhat positive, with publisher Namco Bandai saying it hadn’t given up on the series. However, developer Ninja Theory – who is busy chiselling away on DmC: Devil May Cry for Capcom – has squashed any hopes of a sequel in the immediate future. Apparently, had Enslaved sold better, the developer planned to split in to two groups: one for te Enslaved sequel, the other for DMC. As we all know however, Enslaved didn’t do the business, and therefore plans for a sequel were scrapped. Personally this is a bit gutting, since the original game was quite the compelling adventure despite its flaws, and I’m always up for seeing new IP given a chance to prosper.
DICE: PS3/360 owners ‘definitely not getting less of a game’ with Battlefield 3
There’s no hiding the fact Battlefield 3 will look rather scrumptious on PC, with high-end machines able to display eyeball-popping visuals and accommodate more online players than its PS3 and 360 counterparts. However, developer DICE has moved to reassure punters that the gamers won’t be getting a lesser experience when the hotly-anticipated military shooter hits home consoles late next month. Specifically, producer Patrick Liu promised the same degree of visual fidelity and real-time destruction, and said all maps have been scaled accordingly. Bottom line, PS3/360 owner won’t be missing out. Read around the net and you’re bound to find plenty of heated tongue-wagging over what version will be best, and it’s no secret that the game’s lead platform is PC. However, it’s clear from early impressions that DICE is making a concerted effort to deliver the best possible experience on consoles, and even though we’re getting 40 online players less than the PC, it’s still going to be a stellar experience.