Activision set to Rape your wallet this Fall

Oh alright, “rape” might be too harsh of a word; but if you’re planning on grabbing the big franchise titles from Acti later this year, better drop those pants and assume the position cuz’ boy, this one’s gonna hurt.

Recent Gamestop and Amazon listings of the publishers upcoming games have revealed what will be another hard-hitting season for gamers everywhere, covering the prerequisite Guitar Hero games (including their new kid on the block, DJ Hero), Tony Hawk, and even a special edition planned for Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2. Rather than just post boring numbers and text, however, I figured I could spruce up the facts with some pictures to get a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into by dropping those benjamins:

*bundled with turntable peripheral (PS2 versions is $99)

*No specific details on what’s included here

* tailor-made “family friendly” version of GH: World Tour, full band kit

*return of Tony Hawk game franchise, complete with new mandatory peripheral

Source: Gamespot

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 slated for Summer Re-release

Do you hear that? That’s the cries of thousands and thousands of fanboys weeping with tears of joy at the forever teased re-release of Capcom’s much celebrated Marvel vs. Capcom 2 fighting game. Among the ESRB leaks, the interview clues, and achievement list confirmations, the downloadable MvC2 really does earn its reputation as the worst kept secret in the gaming industry today. From the official blog over at Capcom-Unity:

It’s based on the Dreamcast code base – While the PS2 and Xbox versions of MvC2 were great, there are a few niggling issues in them that have caused the competitive community to continue using the Dreamcast version of the game. We wanted to bring you the very best version of the game, so we listened to the community and started with the Dreamcast.

There is online – With the game being developed by Backbone, we are using largely the same, critically acclaimed net code that we used in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix and with that will come our player match quarter mode/lobby system that has proven so popular. Naturally leaderboards and some form of stats tracking (details to be provided at a later date) will also be in the mix. So on the net code side, you’re pretty much assured the best fighting game net code ever created for consoles

Additionally, since this will be the first time that MvC2 will grace the current generation of consoles, Capcom ensures that there will be a few HD upscaling options in the form of thre graphic filters: Classic, Smooth, and (Extra) Crispy. Yum! While the game won’t possess the quite remarkable redrawn graphics from their insanely titled Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix, it’s nice to know that some effort has gone into making the game at least look a tiny bit better in the age of plasmas and hi def televisions.

As can be gleaned from the poster above, MvC2 is scheduled for a summer release for both Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network. PS3 users get to have an additional bonus as well: a demo for the much-awaited re-release will be available on the PSN starting this Thursday, April 30th! How’s that for a sweet surprise?

S

And now it’s official…

If the leaked Best Buy info didn’t convince you earlier about the revelation of multiplayer in Uncharted 2, then maybe today’s official announcement will: not only will Nathan Drake and friends be able to battle it out in 5 v 5 competitive Deathmatch, but a slight variant on CTF called Plunder will task your team with hefting a golden idol to your side, while co-op fanatics will appreciate the game’s 3-player co-op mode that seems to be more challenge based than relying on the single player story alone.

True to the advertisement unearthed a few days ago, eager fans will also have a chance to play this early with the arrival of the multiplayer beta starting June 3rd. And, so far at least, the only way to guarantee yourself a spot is by reserving Sucker Punch’s inFamous before it comes out on May 26th. Though I don’t expect anything less from a developer like Naughty Dog, impressions of the multiplayer modes have been favorable so far, and can be found on sites such as Kotaku and IGN. I have a feeling that inFamous sales are going to go through the roof with this one…

Uncharted 2 MP beta in the works?

For the past few days, the Official US Playstation Site has been teasing a so called “electrifying” announcement related through two otherwise distinctly different games: Naughty Dog’s upcoming Uncharted 2 and Sucker Punch’s superhero romp inFamous.

While we still have to wait for official details tomorrow (4/27), Kotaku has potentially uncovered the surprise through some helpful tips off one of its readers. Sending in a picture of new Best Buy preorder boxes for inFamous, there is a clear indication that those who place down a preorder will be guaranteed a Multiplayer Beta Voucher for Uncharted 2. Things is, a multiplayer component for Drake’s second adventure has not even been announced yet, let alone hinted at. Which would have made tomorrow’s official reveal a big surprise indeed.

LBP: Creator Pack 1 Out Today

Ok, I’ll admit it: I haven’t touched LittleBigPlanet in at least a few months. . . don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore the game (one of my top games from ‘08 for sure), but I just haven’t had the chance to get back to it in the midst of newer releases this year. That said, with the lack of any major LBP news lately aside from the weekly DLC costume downloads, today’s Playstation Store update should tickle the fancy of all you level creators out there with the release of Creator Pack 1.

Unlike the paid content DLC, this pack is a free download that offers a few tweaks and changes to level editor tools. What changes? Well, here it is, straight from the developers themselves:

• Infinite lives checkpoint
• Visibility tweak option on certain joint objects (to hide these in Play mode)
• Global settings object (to trigger lighting changes)
• Tetherless jetpack
• Angle range proximity switch (additional functionality on proximity and magnetic key switches)

If there’s anything I regret about playing LBP, it’s my inability to gain a coherent understanding of the level creator tools – which, ironically enough, was one of the most hyped features that I was excited for last year. I don’t know if its the lack of time spent or my ADD-like patience with it, but I just couldn’t get into the mode as much as I thought I would. . . ah well, at least there will always be a steady stream of quality levels to find every time I boot LBP up.

Joker Playable in PS3 Arkham Asylum

While exclusive third-party titles among this generation of systems are few and far between these days, exclusive content seem to be picking up that slack as extra incentive/ire for respective console owners, a lot of which have been overwhelmingly in favor of the Xbox 360 – ie, the exclusive “Lost and Damned” DLC for GTAIV, the plethora of new Fallout 3 content, etc. This time, however, it seems as if PS3 owners are being thrown a bone: a new ad for RockSteady’s upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum on Sony’s Playstation Home service has revealed that the PS3 version of the game will allow players to play as the clown prince of crime in a few “exclusive Joker challenge maps.” It also makes it explicitly clear that these maps will “only” be on the PS3.

Since this hasn’t been announced beforehand, with clues that the advertisement may have gone up a bit earlier than intended, the exclusive maps may come as a surprsie to would-be owners of the game. We’ve already seen the PS3 get a similar deal with Mirror’s Edge – an exclusive DLC map in addition to the bundle that was released, so it wouldn’t be entirely unusual if this PS3-only content remains just that. Whether the 360 will receive its own exclusive set of maps with another character is something that I’m sure the PR behind the game will address shortly.

Brütal Legend Officially Dated

For a game that had been previously in publisher-limbo since Activision’s merger with Vivendi last year – only to rise back up months later with EA now taking that role – hearing about a solid date for Tim Schafer’s latest is certainly refreshing. Sporting a Jack Black-voiced roadie attempting to fight his way through a rock-and-roll fantasy world, Brütal Legend should certainly have its own unique take on the third person action/adventure genre.

For us folks in the US, the game is slated for an October 13th, 2009 release. Our UK brethren will have to wait a a few days longer – an October 16th release, to be exact.

theFunkList: You got the Touch!

Is it just me, or have the iPhone/iPod Touch games been getting more and more recognition from console developers these days? Case in point: the two most recent “big title” games that were released in the App store both come from Konami’s Digital Entertainment division, with Dance Dance Revolution S and its most recent release, Metal Gear Solid Touch.

DDRS is something that I’ve been enjoying a lot lately, and the ramp in difficulty in later modes only makes me appreciate the blister-less glass screen all the more. I’ll probably check out MGST at some point (its retailing for $7.99 right now), but reviews seem to be mixed.

Other games I’ve been playing: Resident Evil 5 co-op with a friend – only two chapters in, but I’m having fun; Watchmen: Justice is Coming – another iPhone game, a simplified MMO actually, but while it was only $0.99, connection/server problems make it almost unplayable. I also have a Killzone 2 review still waiting in the wings (finally!), but I have to survive a few finals first =(

Mass Effect 2 hitting Xbox/PC next year, PS3 shunned

With the San Francisco Game Developer’s Conference ready to kick off next week, one in which Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 will be a part of, the developers have officially lift the lid off the sequel to its critically successful sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect. 

While plot details are understandably vague at this time, Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka had this to say about the second game in the planned RPG trilogy:

“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story… 

Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action.”

Scheduled for an early 2010 release, Mass Effect 2 has only been confirmed for the 360 and PC. This may come as a surprise to those who were hoping that, since EA’s buy-out of Bioware, and as such, EA’s tendency to release games for every possible platform out there, the next game in the ME series would land on Sony’s console.  It also didn’t help that EA’s own head honcho, John Riccitiello, was quoted earlier in the year during a conference call as saying only that ME 2 would arrive on “multiple platforms”. 

It seems clear then that Microsoft’s contractual agreement with Bioware (MS published the first game, with EA taking over those duties now) still has a firm control over what platforms they are allowed to make it for.

Source: Shacknews

Capcom is Here to Take Your Monies with RE5 DLC

Oh, Capcom. You give us great franchises like Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, and yes, even Resident Evil; yet you must pull stupid, stupid practices like this. If you’re not aware of the recent controversy with the newly-announced Resident Evil 5 downloadable content (DLC), where the game itself just released a mere 2 days ago, then let me catch you up: Capcom is readying some “new” content for RE fans in the form of the franchise’s first ever online multiplayer modes, Versus, Survivor’s Rule and Slayer’s Rule. 

From Kotaku: 

“Versus allows up to four players to match wits in online battles across two very different game types. Slayer’s Rule is a point-based game that challenges players to kill Majinis. In Survivor’s Rule, players hunt the most dangerous game, each other! Players can begin the hunt as Chris, Sheva or other secret characters, and choose from either one-on-one or two-versus-two team matches for either of the two gameplay styles.”

For a game that already emphasizes co-op game play, this would seem like a nifty extra right? Wrong. Why? Because Capcom execs have seen the need to actually charge, for essentially, a new online multiplayer mode – you know, something which is practically standard in the industry these days. Not saying that all games would do well to fit the multiplayer option – RPG’s for instance, are single player only affairs – and RE does seem a peculiar pick given its stop-and-shoot controls, but when DLC is only a few weeks off of the game’s original release, one has to wonder why this couldn’t be a part of the on-disc content. 

To justify the $5 (or 400 MS points) cost on the 360 and PS3, Capcom has attempted to explain the reasons behind it at CVG:

“Although Versus mode makes use of the assets that exist in the game, the functionality is not currently in the game and is above and beyond the initial scope of Resident Evil 5,” Capcom told us.

“We have never included a Versus mode in Resident Evil before, and as well as the costs of development of the feature, there’s also additional bandwidth costs associated with it,” it added.

For content that already utilizes all of its art/character/graphic/environment assets on the disc, is it really necessary to charge for what amounts to the new modes and net code? Now I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of video game development, but for a game and franchise that is practically guaranteed to be a certified blockbuster in sales due to its rabid fanbase, can’t that profit cover those “functionality” costs?

And if the Versus modes are described as being “above and beyond the initial scope” of RE5, then why were there already Achievement/Trophy listings dedicated entirely to the paid content? That’s because that the modes were already pre-planned, already a part of Capcom’s business decision making, probably knowing full well it was going to be charged ahead of time. Coupled with the fact that this DLC is set to arrive in a few week’s time, one can even venture to speculate that the DLC was being developed alongside the original game in the first place – which in itself seems to be common practice for developers these days and only supports the negative stigma associated with DLC.

Remember, it’s not the cost of DLC that has generated backlash over Capcom and other similar situations, but rather the principle of it: if people keep on blindly buying supposed “add-ons” assuming that that’s just the way the industry works, then more companies could continue down this path of utter ridiculousness and greed. While the paid-for DLC market is still in its infancy stages (only being introduced in this current generation of consoles), we have quickly seen that there have been right ways and wrong ways to do this. Capcom have unfortunately, fallen in temptation for the latter.