Spanish retailer XtraLife has listed Assassin’s Creed: Rising Phoenix as a Playstation Vita title. The listing has now been removed, but while it was Live the listing had Assassin’s Creed: Rising Phoenix listed for $49.99. The release date for the title was set for October 10th which is three weeks prior to Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag’s release date.
This is the second major leak Ubisoft has faced with the Assassin’s Creed franchise in the past two weeks.
Saints Row 4 was announced this morning with a hefty reveal trailer. Deep Silver recently purchased the rights to publish Saints Row during the THQ auction. The reveal trailer features an enormous amount of game play, and information about what’s new in the upcoming installment. The Third Street Saints have turned their focus on the White House after subsequently conquering Steelport and Stilwater. After the leader of the Third Street Saints becomes President of the United States, Earth comes under attack by an alien force. The event results in your Saint being shoehorned into an alien simulation of Steelport. While in said simulation you’re able to harness alien technology, and use some of the super powers on display in the reveal trailer.
It looks like your new Saint will have super powers along with the standard off the wall arsenal of guitar case rocket launchers, clown cannons, and more standard fare firearms (not to mention a few weapons I can’t mention here). Super speed and flight are two of the additional powers shown in the reveal trailer.
Deep Silver and Volition aren’t being coy about a release date either. It looks like August 20th is the day we’ll be privy to more third person, open world, insanity!
Source: Game Informer, Youtube, NeoGaf
The Call of Juarez franchise tends to inspire hot and cold reactions from gamer’s and the media depending on the installment. For instance, Call of Juarez: The Cartel is sitting at a stately 47/100 for it’s metacritic score, whereas the original nearly doubles that score at a 71/100, and Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood sits atop the heap at 78/100. Ubisoft and Techland hope to bring the franchise back to it’s roots with Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. The reveal trailer references the likes of Jesse James and Billy the Kidd saying - “They’ve all made their choices, and I’ve made mine.” in an attempt to outline the lawlessness of the American Frontier. We may be looking at a return to glory for the Call of Juarez franchise with Gunslinger. However, this is just the reveal trailer, and only time will tell.
This may be one of the last trailers Irrational Games throws at us before BioShock: Infinite’s March 26th release. So far we’ve learned more about Columbia, the floating city, Elizabeth, and now the former U.S. Cavalry Man Booker DeWitt is starting to take shape. It’s been no secret that Booker was forced into the rescue mission that will be the focus of BioShock: Infinite, but the “False Shepherd” trailer sheds more light on how Booker became indebted to his handlers.
We also see more examples of Vigor in action (Infinites Plasmid’s), as well as a detailed account of the first time Booker ingests Vigor, and has a minor melt down. The omnipresent Songbird even makes an appearance near the end of the sequence.
Even though BioShock: Infinite had such a rocky development cycle, I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be another solid installment in the BioShock franchise.
New details about Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall we’re pulled directly from the Dishonored Official Page. The rumors that hit the net yesterday have been confirmed. Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall releases 4-16-2013. You’ll jump behind the mask of Daud, the deadly assassin that murders the Empress and thrusts the Dishonored story into motion.
After the Daud sets Dunwall ablaze with the assassination of the Empress, he sets out on a quest for redemption. he and his band of assassin’s the Whalers seek Delilah, a key component in the The Outsider’s plan for Daud’s atonement.
Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall will expose you to new locales, weapons, powers, gadgets, and moral dilemmas. It’s also a more inventive take on DLC as it gives you access to a much neglected and rarely experienced part of the narrative, the Antagonist.
What’s Arkane Studios up to this time? Another DLC has been outed by a combination of a vague Twitter post and a Playstation 3 trophy listing for a Dishonored DLC titled “The Other Side Of The Coin“. The above image has been making the rounds since the tweet, and if you’ve played Dishonored you’ll easily recognize one of the games opening sequences being portrayed from a different perspective.
This is a fantastic idea for DLC, and it may even spur a second play through of Dishonored. I’m always interested to learn the motivations of perceived “bad” people. Believe me, even a brief thumb through Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kompf sheds some light on the mass murdering, sociopaths motivations. An hour with A&E’s The First 48 is also a great example. I’m also a big fan of the anti-hero. Whether it’s Frank Castle, Severus Snape, or John Creasy I’m always intrigued by the killer with good intentions (whether they really are, or not is an entirely different affair).
We know the general idea behind the assassination, and attempted government take over in Dishonored, but knowing more about the people behind the crimes is interesting to say the least. I look forward to “The First 48” after the Empresses assassination with Dishonored’s “The Other Side Of The Coin” DLC.
Micro Transactions are making their way into just about everything nowadays. Now it seems as though Call of Duty Black Ops 2 will include the option to customize your character, add more personality to your emblems, and even the ability to share more of your Blops 2 experience via micro transactions. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything here that gives an inherent edge to game play by purchasing said micro transactions, so who’s to scoff at them? Look forward to these three packs being available tomorrow 3/13/2013:
If Activision hopes to keeps it’s E-Sport like competitions afloat they’ll have to tread carefully with the micro transactions. The only item that could be construed as any benefit would be the Extra Slots Pack. and to tell you the truth I don’t care if someone wants to create another Search and Destroy class or not. The type of consumer Activision is hoping to target, or even cultivate is typically referred to as a “Whale”. A consumer that will consume just about anything you throw at them and just keep asking for more. The term was coined in the early days of Zynga’s social games on Facebook that featured micro transactions, and plenty of people obliged in said business model. Some spent real money on just about any perceived “upgrade” they could get their hands on.
Source: Destructoid
Ron Gilbert, one of the driving forces behind Double Fines The Cave has announced, that after two years, he’s leaving the studio. Gilbert goes on to thank the studio and Tim Schafer for the opportunity to work with them over the past two years.
Gilbert also elaborates a bit on what the future holds for him. He teases an iOS title called Scurvy Scallywags in The Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty: A Musical Match-3 Pirate RPG. He also briefly mentions a PAX keynote speech.
Source: Grumpy Gamer
When speaking to Gamingbolt recently in reference to the Playstation 4, Linus Blomberg, Co-Founder of Avalanche Studios seems to think the PS4 packs enough power to stay relevant for some time. He was particularly impressed with Sony’s choice of 8GB RAM, pointing out that most PC’s don’t currently offer that amount of RAM standard.
So with a Blu-Ray optical drive and 8GDDR5 the PS4 is looking like a powerhouse in the console market, and possibly on par with PC gaming at least for a while. Historically gaming consoles have been trumped ten fold by their PC counterparts, but it’s looking like the gap is narrowing a bit this console generation.
Blomberg speaks of using the Playstation 4′s impressive specs to deliver a new open world experience, which would surely be welcome in the console gaming space. Recently images of what appears to be a new Just Cause popped up on Twitter, and that may be just the project Blomberg is referring to when talking a new open world experience.
So what does the iGR crowd think of this analysis of the Playstation 4? Over zealous, or is it a possibility that the PS4 could contend with PC’s on some scale? What would the enormous PC elitist crowd do if this claim were true?
Today just after 9am Major Nelson announced the release date for Halo 4′s Castle Map Pack DLC. It looks like April 8th is the day we’ll have some new Halo multiplayer content to sink our teeth into on the Xbox 360. This next bit is pulled directly from Major Nelson’s blog, and it describes what you can expect to see in the Halo 4 Castle Map Pack -
New Battlegrounds: Castle Map Pack
Daybreak: Two UNSC bases oppose each other in this large asymmetrical map. Teams must split focus between attacking the enemy base while playing close defense to their own. Claim your team’s sniper rifle to cover the central Man Cannon, or grab a Warthog to push through the side channels and flank the enemy base. The Rocket Launcher and Banshee both spawn in positions diagonal to the starting bases; claiming their firepower early is crucial to land the first flag cap or take an early lead in kills.
Outcast: Controlling vehicle paths is critical in this circular map set in a desert environment. Outcast features frequent Mantis vs. Wraith battles, so teams must keep their drivers informed with constant communication to get the drop on enemy vehicles. While driving the Mantis, you can target fusion coils in tunnels to flush out camping opponents directly into your rain of fire, or cover your flag runner’s dash to a friendly Warthog. If you find yourself without a vehicle, race to the secondary bases to secure a power weapon or drop on enemies for a game-changing hijack.
Perdition: Blending long sightlines, vehicles, and close-quarters combat, Perdition caters to nearly any gameplay style. Wheelmen and gunners will be right at home in this urban environment as a well-placed Warthog can lock down a quarter of the map, securing valuable ordnances for the team. Learning the interior routes is essential to both escaping danger and finishing off ranged kills. Be sure to look for the Gravity Hammer in Power Station 3 – an ideal revenge weapon against a pesky sniper or a big surprise for an enemy Warthog.
The Castle Map Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points. Players who purchase the “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass* or “Halo 4” Limited Edition will receive access to all three Map Packs (Crimson, Majestic, and Castle) at a 15 percent savings versus purchasing them individually.1
New Playlist: “Castle DLC”
The Castle Map Pack brings a new playlist to the War Games experience called “Castle DLC,” a six-versus-six playlist that focuses on both team play and coordinated objective gameplay.
The new maps will also be integrated into existing Infinity Slayer, Big Team Objective, and Dominion playlists. DLC maps will appear in a playlist if all members of the match have the content purchased or the War Games Map Pass.
Castle is the third add on DLC Halo 4 has seen, and is the last of the “planned” DLC 343i alluded to previously.
News from Kickstarter