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?

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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.

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

Big Daddy? Meet Big Mom- er, I mean, SISTER

Game Informer magazine proves yet again its incredible tenacity to score exclusive info on the most anticipated games, this time with all new details on Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams. That big thing on the cover? Oh boy, you’re gonna like this: they are the rumored-but-now-confirmed existence of the game’s latest addition to its iconic cast of villains, the Big Sister. 

Not much more info than that, I’m afraid. But feel free to board the speculation train until the inevitable picture scans show up on teh interwebs one of these days.

New Details on Left 4 Dead’s “Survival” mode

So now that we know that Valve’s popular online zombie shooter will get some free DLC lovin’, what exactly can one expect from the the update? Well, IGN has got the hands-on scoop from the developer and are all too ready to kiss and tell.

First, let’s get to the good stuff: namely, the brand new addition of the Survival mode. Unlike previous guesses of a wave-after-wave affair a la Gears of War 2, Survival will immediately thrust players right into the bloody thick of things: once the initial wave of the common undead passes through, special zombies (ie, Tanks, Smokers, Hunters and Boomers) are introduced to the chaotic mix. Not too bad yet right? Well, that is until you consider that multiple numbers of Smokers, Hunters, and Boomers can show up at a time, with Valve even claiming that it’s possible to get two Tanks if you happen to be so unlucky…

Apparently, Survival is so intense that matches will rarely last more than 10 minutes due to the sheer mayhem that it entails. The only reprieve players get is at the beginning of the round, before someone (the host perhaps?) signals the the unleashing of the horde; during this time, players can prepare themselves by searching for weapons and med kits in the level, as well as the familiar gasoline and propane tanks. Once the match is over, your group’s best times are tallied up, with medals being awarded the longer you last. 

In total, Survival mode will sport 16 levels, with all but one being tweaked versions of areas from the original 4 campaigns. The lone new level is called Lighthouse, which is exactly what it sounds like… according to Valve though, this is the most difficult level of them all. For more on the DLC, including how the two “new” Versus maps play, head on over to IGN’s original article, including short video clips of the Survival mode in action.

Game Informer Scans = New info on GOW3

Boasting a bevy of exclusive content, the March issue of Game Informer magazine divulges new info on Sony’s next entry in its epic blockbuster franchise, God of War III. And, as always, teh interwebs have provided this info before hand with some physical scans, which can be found over at PS3Chat.

To be honest, while the scans are nice, reading it for comprehension requires straining my eyes to the nth degree. . . which is why it’s nice to see that the people over at Shacknews were able to decipher it! A few selections on their post:

• Players begin the game with many abilities from previous God of War games unlocked.
• New weapons will provide more contrast to the standard Blades of Chaos. The Cestus gauntlets, seen in the first trailer (below), were given as an example.
• Up to 50 enemies on screen–an increase over God of War 2’s 12-15 limit.
• Enemies will now coordinate attacks, arrange themselves in formations, and jump on Kratos to weigh him down.
• Titans–the massive god-like creatures from previous games–are now dynamic, “living, breathing characters,” rather than background setpieces.

While leaked scans are fun, I think I’ll just wait ’till the next time I roll into my local bookstore to read the stuff for myself.