Did I ever have any idea what I was going to do with this? I just sorta started recapping big game news after I wanted to have something other than reviews. But now, I just sorta kept on doing this one weird thing that nobody in their right mind would use as the definitive news listing. Oh well, not gonna stop. As this only takes effort when I rummage through for the most fitting images I can be arsed to find.
A while back, Ubisoft reported that they did not really have any interest in something they couldn’t stick numbers at the end of, and ship millions. Well, not the exact words, but I can’t be bothered to get the link. Instead, they are apparently making a Squaresoft styled JRPG. Which is just about the exact opposite of the big AAA console space. It will be made in the Ubiart engine, or the Rayman engine for those unaware with the team mostly being people stick of making big Assassin’s Creed titles. It is really up in the air if this will work, but I just hope it doesn’t get watered down to an iOS game.
Speaking of iOS games, Nintendo is apparently doing some technical magic to port games from places like the iOS to the Wii U. It is allegedly far simpler to port games onto the Wii U, though I can’t help but find this as too little too late. People are looking forward for the far more powerful and only somewhat more expensive Gen8 titles, and they’re in double digit days away. Even the crossgen games that may be portable wouldn’t really be eye catching to anyone, because they are already obtainable to those people. I’m honestly rather lost as to how Nintendo could unpickle themselves from now. It wouldn’t be too far fetched at this point for them to buy the rights to that fan-made Mother 4. Although that Wind Waker bundle’s not a bad idea
Oh, but there are far more pressing matters about those larger systems about, thanks to Gamescom, which sneaked up on me, due to how it started on a blasted Tuesday. I’m going to just give about a page of highlights from the conferences, but here’s all the jam laid on the floor by Microsoft & Sony Microsoft began while I was asleep, goddamn thee Europe, so I’ll go start with them. Ubisoft showed a not quite gameplay trailer of their Kinect based fighting game, Fighter Within. Which will be a launch title for the XBO, but I’m not sure why anybody would want the game, even after it was explained. I can gather that the gameplay will be that of a simplified fighting game of sorts, but if that is the case, just go out and make it a proper, I dunno, boxing sim or something.
One game that may take a bit longer though, is Fable Legends. An Unreal 4 powered XBO title that will likely come during the first year. Now, I have a bit of a soft spot for Fable, particularly Fable II, as it was a very unique title to me when I first played it, but I’m not sure whether or not Lionhead/Microsoft are sure what to do with the series. It will now be a game about four heroes going on various adventures, along with moral choices held by all of them, because by jove those worked in the previous titles to great effect. With the CG trailer being something that is only particularly recognizable as a Fable game due to the persistent art direction. Also, Fable Legends? For real?
Keeping this locomotive rolling, Peggle 2 is at least a temp XBO exclusive. Though I wonder why iOS isn’t the only platform for games like that. Though Microsoft made the very, in my opinion, wise decision to Bundle a free copy of FIFA 14 with all preordered European XBOs. A very bold, but expensive move that I’m guessing will work to secure the balls of the European market, because of their apparent Football fetish. Hell, I even called it by their word for it. Oh, and their Indie program has been detailed, but it’s not self publishing, as much as it is anyone can apply for a dev account where they will get some dev kits to boot. Not quite what they said, but their words mean as much as their weight… which is nothing… words don’t have- ah screw it.
SCD Nice Interruption sharp transition screw it
Sony time, and curse thee Saints Row IV for making me need to pick up the pieces! Which was kinda tough, because it is pretty much a laundry list of games. Well, after the Vita dropped to $200. “What about the memory cards?” was my first thought. They are going down by a little bit, so a 32 GB card is now $80, not $100. I mean, Christ, I got a 1TB external hard drive for the price of a 16GB PS Vita memory stick. At least there will be a port storm! Borderlands 2 for Vita, though no word on if DLC will be bundled with it. Fez, Starbound, Velocity 2, Volume (A game by the Thomas Was Alone guy, along with a timed exclusive), Rouge Legacy, Binding of Isaac Rebirth, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Helldivers(Magicka people’s next title), and Wasteland Kings as another timed exclusive. All coming to the PS4/Vita sometime in between the Winter and 2014. With Minecraft, Guns of Icarus, and the timed exclusive N++ coming to the PS4 this winter. Leaving the Vita all alone with something called Murasaki Baby, which looks rather keen and queer.
Jesus, this crap keeps on coming. From the Dear Esther guys, comes Cryengine powered game called Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture for unnamed Sony devices, likely just the PS4. Alongside an ill detailed game, Rime that looks to be a cel shaded game about being a little man in a big world, something that’s always a nice formula. Not that I have much of an idea as to what the game will be, along with what something called Shadow of the Beast. Which will apparently be a reimagining of an old Amiga game. In other words, why this was announced in Europe? Because nobody in the US owned an Amiga.
While in the non-game shenanigans, they kept the news train rolling with Twitch TV support along side UStream presumably because they wanted to get the prefered partner, as opposed to the cheaper one. A $200 12GB PS3, which I can only view as bullcrap considering how the system is pretty much dead and this will be the most brutal of generation upgrades in years due to the lack of backwards compatibility. Though there may be a minor revision to that before of after the Playstation 4 arrives on November 15th for North America, and 29th for Europe. Which was more or less to be expected.
PGOS Let’s bun girlfriend fun times
A date that I’d assume that everybody would flee from, but this is mid-November, so naturally there needs to be current gen incompatible titles thrown into the mix. Such as XCOM: Enemy Within, an expansion to the similarly named Enemy Unknown that makes me feel dumb for still not having gotten around to the main title that has gone untouched aside from being placed in a disc binder. Aside from new maps, customizations options, and robots that you can shove units into, things seem to be similar, but you can now TBS your way to punching aliens in the face. Something that transcends genre in being radical.
TWGOK So I Had To Become an Alien
The expansion arrives on the twelfth, which just so happens to be a week before Ubisoft releases their much anticipated Watch Dogs. Something I’d respect more if they didn’t express every intent on bloating up the franchise, and didn’t share the release date of that South Park RPG, ultimately dooming it,despite looking pretty darn keen. Now they’ve claimed to also be in the works with Sony Pictures in making an action packed Watch Dogs film. Which is up in the air when it comes to quality, but announcing your intent when the first game could very well bomb makes one seem a trifle bit presumptuous, dontcha think?
SCD Understand Difference Between Media!
Kinda like Zenimax online, or whatever the proper term is for those chaps working on Elder Scrolls Online. Who have recently announced that their game will, ontop of having a fee for the game itself, will have a $15 a month subscription service. In addition to having a cash shop… Oh dear. Now, I only have experience with one MMO, which did not go especially well, and due to my disdain for using a keyboard to play, because I can’t even touch type, I may not be the best person to judge this. However, I know a dumb model when I see it. The game itself will be a good 30-60 to purchase, or so I’d presume, but needing to pay $180 a year for it seems a bit too steep for a game people were already pretty turned off by when it was first unveiled. But hey, it’s their money, they can lose as much as it as they want.
And that’s about all that I saw of extreme interest, and now with a pretty hefty list of confirmed launch titles for Xbox One and list of games confirmed for the PS4. Both of which are rather impressive, but I can’t say I’m interested because I just got a new console, it’s called a PC.