Weekly Video Game News and Game Trailers – 02/02/2013
After multiple game installments and feature films that tail-ended in the polarizing Resident Evil 6, the Resident Evil franchise may be due for a reboot, according to Capcom producer Masachika Kawata. Potentially, this fresh direction for the series could expand the game’s universe to accommodate an open-world, sandbox format. According to Kawata, “If we did [go with an open-world], we would want to preserve what Resident Evil is and what makes it appealing to fans, while also making it accessible to new players. It would almost entail having a slight reboot to get the series into a place where it would work with open-world gameplay.” Before any major decisions are to take place in regards to a reboot, Kawata plans to finish the port of Resident Evil: Revelations for the Xbox 360, Wii U and PlayStation 3.
Grand Theft Auto V Delayed
Not surprisingly, the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto V has been delayed until September 17th. Rockstar’s open-world gangster epic was originally slated for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the spring, but is now being pushed back to allow the developer to polish what they have. An official statement from the company stated, “GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require.” It is still unclear whether a PC or Wii U version of the game is in the works.
Napoleon Total War – Gold Edition for Mac Trailer
Skyrim DLC for PS3 in February
After an unreasonable waiting period for PlayStation 3 gamers, the DLC for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been announced for the Sony console. Encompassing the Dragonborn, Dawnguard and Hearthfire DLC content, as well as the 1.8 title update, the expansions will hit the online marketplace in two weeks. Dragonborn launches on the PS3 February 12th, Hearthfire on February 19th, and Dawnguard on February 26th. Interested gamers should download the DLC packs early, to get a time-sensitive 50% discount available during the first week.
More Mass Effect 3 DLC
Coming ahead of what will surely be an official announcement from BioWare regarding a new Mass Effect 3 DLC, a post from Clevernoob forum poster TSA_383 reveals that a new co-op mode is in the works, which will integrate gamers’ single-player performance into this new multiplayer mode when it hits sometime in the near future. Furthermore, the DLC will most likely be called “Reckoning,” according to a Reddit user post one week ago. Recently-released official screenshots seem to back up this prediction of an upcoming DLC, and the likelihood of it being a co-op experience.
Killzone – Mercenary Gameplay Trailer
REDengine 3 Unveiled
CD Projekt Red, the developer of the popular Witcher series, has just unveiled a new gaming engine capable of rendering “movie-quality” scenes. Called REDengine 3, the technology allows gamers to move throughout an interactive world without loading times, an advent that CD Projekt Red is claiming elevates gaming “to a new level.” The first game to use the tech will be Cyberpunk 2077, with a potential Witcher sequel next in line. “The engine is a next-gen-ready solution that begins to blur the line between pre-rendered CGI movies and real time rendered graphics, bringing us closer to the most life-like world ever created in video games,” CD Projekt Red said in a statement. Let’s hope they’re right.
Halo 4 Team Doubles Playlist
Team Doubles playlist for Halo 4 is arriving next week as part of a matchmaking update, according to a recent announcement from 343 Industries. The 2 vs. 2 playlist features three distinct game modes: Infinity Doubles, Doubles Pro, and CF Doubles. The finalized map list has not yet been released, though 343 has confirmed that Solace, Abandon and Haven are being included, as well as Forge-made maps. New specializations (Rogue, Tracker) are also coming to the game next week.
Sins of a Dark Age – Intro Cinematic Gameplay Trailer
Nintendo News from Iwata
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s recently translated list of prepared remarks reveals that the gaming giant has been at work developing technology for “future platforms” since last year. These new platforms would make Nintendo software assets more easily transferable, potentially avoiding shortages in software launch lineups. According to Iwata, “What we are aiming at is to integrate the architecture to form a common basis for software development so that we can make software assets more transferable, and operating systems and their build-in applications more portable, regardless of form factor or performance of each platform.”
PlayStation 4 Rumors
Edge is once again fueling the rumor mill for the in-development PlayStation 4, stating that the console will feature a “share” button that allows users to publish screenshots and video across the internet. The console will apparently constantly record the activities of the player into a 15 minute cache, which can be mined at any time for media to share with the world. Furthermore, the PlayStation 4′s controller, which will be a true departure from anything we’ve seen from Sony controllers in the past, will feature a rear touchpad similar to the one being used with the PS Vita. According to sources, the PlayStation 4 will release in the US and Japan by holiday season 2013, with a European launch following soon after in 2014.
Splinter Cell Blacklist – Collector’s Edition Trailer
From the PunchDrunkGamer Forums:
Bonus Game Trailer: Warface – Closed Beta Trailer
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