BBC’s excellent reimagining of Sherlock Holmes finally has a teaser for the next series! Still no date for when the show will be back, but it’s expected to return this fall.
Category Archives: News Snippets
Microsoft may make Games with Gold permanent
Currently, Microsoft’s Games with Gold promotion is only set to run through the rest of this year. However, according to Major Nelson, that is subject to change depending on audience reaction. Given that people like free things, even when there might be some disappointment there, I’m sure it will be a resounding success throughout the gaming community.
Microsoft first announced its Games with Gold promotion at this year’s E3 by promising gamers with an Xbox Live Gold subscription two free games every month throughout the remainder of the year. The first two games to be announced were Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3. There was some expressions of disappointment with the two free games, given that they’re already several years old and most anybody that wants to play them already has them (and, c’mon, pretty much everybody has a copy of Halo 3 by now), but they’re free.
The major benefit of this promotion, besides the two free games thing, is that the games will be yours to keep. Unlike Sony’s free games for PSN+ subscribers, games made available for free on Games with Gold will not expire even if you cancel your Gold subscription. While I’d certainly like to see something newer than what Microsoft has shown so far (or at least something I haven’t played yet), I’m not going to complain about free games–even if I already own those games, it doesn’t hurt to have a digital copy… especially if it’s free.
Defense Grid is the first free Game with Gold and will remain free through July 15.
Source: VG247
“Moon” rights revert back to Renegade Kid next year
I’m not going to lie, I loved Renegade Kid’s DS outings. The Dementium games were refreshing and terrifying handheld experiences and Moon demonstrated that Samus isn’t the only character capable of starring in a captivating first-person adventure. Both properties demonstrate the kind of quality on a Nintendo console uncommon in third-party developers, so I’m all for seeing more. With Moon being one of the few games out there to successfully replicate the feel of a Metroid Prime game, the idea that there might be more in the future is certainly exciting.
Renegade Kid had a five-year contract with publisher Mastiff for Moon, those five years are up in 2014. Jools Watsham, the co-founder of Renegade Kid, has hinted that with the property being back in the hands of its creators, that there might just be more in the future. In a conversation with Polygon, Watsham stated, “We… are very fond of Moon, and have always wanted to continue the story of Major Kane…. We purposely left it open-ended at the end of the first game for this reason…. [W]e absolutely intend to support Moon with future development efforts. We’ll have more news on our plans soon.”
Source: Polygon
Celebrate Independence with The Walking Dead
Telltale’s special episode of The Walking Dead, meant to expand the universe and sate gamers’ appetites while we wait for the second season, will be releasing on various platforms this week. The game will follow five characters in their own stories and will be available for $5. The North American release schedule is as follows: July 2nd on PlayStation Network, July 3rd on PC and Mac, and July 5th on Xbox Live. PSN in Europe gets the episode on July 10 while iOS gamers worldwide will get it on the 11th.
Source: IGN
Just Add Water hoping to remake Metal Gear Solid
Developer of the recent Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath remake as well as upcoming New ‘N’ Tasty Just Add Water is hoping to capitalize on Hideo Kojima’s desire to see the first game remade in Fox Engine. The developer has some past experience working with a highly regarded IP, Oddworld, and hopes that their respect for the existing property and the fact that they’re “huge Metal Gear fans, with very good knowledge of the source material” will land them the gig.
Whether or not an HD remake of the first MGS happens, the idea is certainly exciting. Do you think Just Add Water is up to the challenge? If not, what studio would be your dream choice to re-envision Metal Gear Solid?
Source: IGN
Age of Empires going mobile
Microsoft is licensing its Age of Empires IP to KLab Inc. for development of a mobile entry in the franchise for mobile platforms. From the sounds of things, the game will be coming to iOS and Android first with a Windows Phone version coming at a later time. The game is being developed in English first with a global release planned and other languages as well as the Windows Phone version planned for a future release.
There was speculation of other Microsoft franchises planned to be released on mobile platforms, but Microsoft refuted those rumors with the vague “there are no further announcements beyond Age of Empires at this time.”
Source: Polygon
Dead Rising 3’s SmartGlass features unlock exclusive missions
Capcom’s upcoming Xbox One exclusive Dead Rising 3 will give gamers a reason to boot up the Xbox extension SmartGlass. The game re-skins players’ SmartGlass devices to look like the character’s phone within the game universe. From there, players will receive calls which will grant them exclusive missions otherwise inaccessible. Capcom has stated that the missions players gain access to via SmartGlass will expand the game’s story but will not be essential to it for gamers who don’t have access to a SmartGlass capable device.
SmartGlass will also grant players access to bonuses like air strikes. Completing missions in-game grants players codes which can be used in the SmartGlass application to purchase the special attacks and such in-game. Josh Bridge, Dead Rising 3’s executive producer, confirmed that the game does not have microtransactions and that all these purchases will be “within the game’s own ecosystem.”
Dead Rising 3 is coming exclusively to Xbox One as a launch title this November.
Source: VG247
Halo Reclaimer Trilogy is now a “saga”
Halo 4 was originally announced as the beginning of the Reclaimer Trilogy by 343 Industries, but that idea has apparently been expanded to a “saga.” The next entry in the Halo franchise was recently announced at this year’s E3 featuring a cloaked figure in a wasteland–with the cloaked figure being revealed as, gasp, Master Chief. 343 has specified that this is the next “legitimate” entry in the franchise and is expected for Xbox One in 2014.
With the expansion of the trilogy into a saga, it makes me wonder if we should expect to see more numbered entries in the franchise set in the current story arc or if we’ll be given a few spin-offs between the numbered entries. Personally, I’d love to see the brand expand beyond the FPS genre in the future. I loved Halo Wars and would love to see another Halo RTS. A controller-based RTS game with SmartGlass and Kinect enhanced features would be phenomenal, I think.
The Haloverse is a wonderful place just begging to be expanded in other genres–especially ones more welcoming to more robust storytelling–so I’d really like to see it step back out of its comfort zone and explore new gaming territories. Whatever 343 has planned for the future of the franchise, I’m sure it’s exciting.
Source: GameSpot
Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man
There had been some speculation for a while that Robert Downey Jr. might not return to the iconic role of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, after the third film in the franchise and the massive paychecks Marvel has had to write for the guy, but it’s now been confirmed that RDJ will be stepping back into the role for the next two Avengers flicks. Joss Whedon had gone on record to state that he wouldn’t make an Avengers 2 without RDJ as Tony Stark, so I guess that’s taken care of. Yay.
Currently, there are no plans for a fourth Iron Man film, but given the huge success of the first three installments and the importance of the character in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, I would be very surprised if we didn’t see more Iron Man before the third Avengers.
Source: IGN
The next Dragon Age and Mass Effect built on same core system
I’m a long-time fan of BioWare. I’ve been playing their games for the better part of my whole life. Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, KotOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect–all of these games have had a lasting impact on me and I’m always tempted to go back to re-experience the greatness of those gaming classics. I can’t express the disappointment I felt when they were bought out by Electronic Arts and the changes that came with that acquisition. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some great games from BioWare since the acquisition, but the practices and tone of the games have changed drastically since the studio gave up its independence.
Even though it’s published by EA, Dragon Age: Origins is, in my humble opinion, the last classic BioWare game. Production on DAO began long before EA’s purchase of the Canadian developer and it’s undeniable that it feels everything like one of their older titles. A spiritual successor to their Dungeons & Dragons licensed games, Dragon Age was a love letter to their fans and hardcore gamers. It was an in-depth tactical RPG with branching stories and great characters. I loved it, as did pretty much every other loyal BioWare fan. It was a game that gave me hope for the future of the studio under EA’s umbrella… until we got Dragon Age 2.
Among the many things bad with their fantasy RPG sequel, Dragon Age 2 can easily be considered Mass Effect with swords… and a much smaller world. Dragon Age 2 was everything DAO wasn’t–everything a Dragon Age game shouldn’t be. Despite Mass Effect being a great gaming franchise, it’s successful in that its mechanics work within its game world–those mechanics don’t belong in any sequel to a tactical fantasy RPG. With that said, I can’t help but be a little apprehensive about the upcoming Dragon Age 3, which will lay the groundwork for the next entry in the Mass Effect franchise.
I can see the positive side of this as it will cut down development time for the next Mass Effect, but it also indicates that the next DA will not really distance itself from the “ME with swords” identity established with the second game. If BioWare proves me wrong in this assumption, I’ll be thrilled. Until then, I’m going to remain cautious about the next Dragon Age.
Source: VG247
PowerUp Online 