It's a new year and that means that we have a whole new batch of 2012 games that have the potential to get pushed out of this year and into 2013. The first casualty of the year is Metro Last Light, which has just been given a Q1 2013 release date according to THQ's financial earnings report released today.
Metro: Last Light is the sequel to the 2010 title Metro 2033. The game was set in a post-apocalyptic Russia that focused on fighting both humans and mutants in an atmospheric environment scarce of items like health and ammunition. The game is also well known for its use of gas masks that keep the player safe from high radiation in certain sections of the game. While it was released on Xbox 360 it's also held up as one of the best looking PC titles available and is often used for comparing the graphics power a machine.
Metro: Last Light is just the first of many games intended to come out in 2012 that will slip into next year. In the meantime this gives you a chance to play one of the most overlooked games of 2010.
The last time we heard from Max Payne 3 it was being delayed to May. It was the latest in a long line of delays stretching out over a year ago. While Max Payne isn't about to challenge Duke Nukem for delays (not yet at least) today we get an actual release date which might just signify that we'll actually see Max's return relatively soon. Although, based on Max's history you may not want to get the date tattooed on your arm just yet.
Max Payne 3 is now set to launch on May 15 in North America and May 18 in Europe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The PC version is scheduled for release on May 29 in North America and June 1 in Europe.
Due to the exclusivity deal between Microsoft and Activision for Call of Duty, Xbox 360 Elite members having been enjoying two brand new maps for Modern Warfare 3 for full week. Today we have learned that PlayStation 3 Call of Duty Elite members can expect the two brand new maps to hit on February 28. The two new maps are Liberation and Piazza.
This delay will likely set the tone for the rest of the "content drops" coming for Call of Duty Elite members over the next year. We can expect about a one month delay for PlayStation 3 players to get the maps after Xbox 360. Of course there's still no word on when non-elite members and PC owners will be able to get their hands on some new content.
Alan Wake, the underrated, underselling Xbox 360 exclusive, has packed up its stuff and decided to make its way to PC. Today Remedy has announced the more details about the PC release. Alan Wake will first be coming to Steam on February 16 with other direct download channels following later. There is also a retail version of the game in the near future.
For the Steam launch there will be two editions for purchase. The base game will run you $29.99 and will include both DLC packs: The Signal and The Writer. Then there will be Limited Collector's Edition for $34.99 that also includes The Alan Wake Files book, a developer commentary and a soundtrack.
Alan Wake coming to PC also means plenty of PC goodies including improved graphics, mouse and keyboard support in addition to controller support and features fans have been asking for like field of view adjustment and HUD removal. Check it out on Steam when it launches February 16.
More bad news about the economy was revealed today in an SEC report that stated game developer THQ would be laying off 240 employees and reducing CEO Brian J. Farrell's salary by 50 percent.
As stated in the report, the layoffs are part of a new "restructuring plan" within the company, a plan that will result "in reductions of up to 240 selling, general and administrative personnel worldwide." Meanwhile, Farrell's sizeable salary cut ($718,500 to $359,250 for one year beginning on February 13) is the result of an amendment in a contract that was drafted in 2008.
Although my heart goes out to the 240 soon-to-be-former THQ employees, I am reserving my pity for Mr. Farrell. Although 50 percent is a drastic amount for a salary reduction, I can't help but wonder if his contract includes one of those golden parachutes that the Occupy movement is protesting against.
A post on Bungie.net yesterday announced that the company is preparing to relinquish control of its final vestige of updated Halo-related content. On March 31, all live Halo data will be fully transitioned to 343 Industries. The only remnants of Halo to remain on Bungie.net will be "historical Halo data," which the company intends to retain "for as long as the Internet and Bungie's data storage systems remain functional."
The transition will mark, once and for all, the end of Bungie's association with the iconic game franchise that it created and made it famous. In the future, the names "Bungie" and "Halo" will no longer coincide with one another; each name will be a part of the other's past. Halo will become a part of 343 Industries and Microsoft Studios, while Bungie's future is currently attached to a top secret, in-development project with the working title "Tiger."
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Insomniac Games, the creator of the Resistance series and developer of all three of the Resistance games on the PlayStation 3, has announced that last year's Resistance 3 will be the studio's last in the franchise.
"We won't be making any more Resistances," said Insomniac CEO Ted Price to VG247 today. The news comes following last year's release of Resistance 3 to good reviews but weak sales. Founded in 1994, the studio's current project is OverStrike, a four-player co-op action game slated for release on both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, making it the first multi-platform game in studio history.
Although Insomniac is moving on, Resistance remains the property of Sony, making further games in the franchise from other developers a strong likelihood. Indeed, there has already been one non-Insomniac installment in the franchise: SCE Bend's Resistance: Retribution for the PSP. Nihilistic is also working on the upcoming Resistance: Burning Skies for the PS Vita.
Along with the unsurprising announcement that Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console will support Blu-ray DVD technology, Kotaku has reported a rumor that the unannounced-but-inevitable future console will somehow eliminate gamers' ability to play used or previously-purchased games.
Exactly how this alleged anti-used technology would work is unknown, but such a feature would effectively take away the service that used-game companies like GameStop rely on, condemning them to an almost-certain doom.
If true, this measure is guaranteed to cause controversy, but it nevertheless represents the next logical step for video game publishers' ongoing feud with the used-game market. Publishers have already begun dissuading gamers from buying used titles with things like online passes and similar content that is only available to customers for free if they buy their games new. However, that content typically costs only a fraction of the game itself when purchased separately, while a full-blown anti-used feature would require every gamer to pay the full market price for every video game they own. That's a drastic escalation on the publishers' part.
Hello and welcome back to The KNOXbroadcast Family show. This is Episode 2 of the complete KB crew with special guest Lakeidea, our young and always chipper, smiling, college sorority creating cousin. We go deep into some of our TV shows we’ve been watching along with a couple suspect kiddy shows that the entire gang isn’t afraid to divulge. We also discuss many situations faced by Christian college/workplace goers in today’s social climate. Speaking of social we touch on smart phones and the ability to gain instant access to social networking outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, Google plus and how these outlets have the infectious ability to allow people to show who they really are.
We round out the show with listener reviews and appreciations for our community along with a bevy of other topics. Please remember to go to our Facebook page subscribe and become a part of the KNOXbroadcast family at KNOXbroadcast.com or on iTunes, the Stitcher app, Zune marketplace and the always reliable direct RSS feed Knoxbroadcast.libsyn.com
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Microsoft Points are an oft-hated system by many gamers. Many have called for an end to the system and a move to a simpler purchasing system like PlayStation Network has. Most just want buy what they want with real money, not some fake currency where they are forced to spend more than they want when items don't fit within multiples of $5.
If rumors are to be believed apparently Microsoft, too, has grown tired of Microsoft Points. InsideMobileApps is reporting a source has told them that Microsoft Points are set to be phased out by the end of 2012. By then all purchases will be made with real money based on the region of the account. In addition to changing how Xbox Live will work this will also affect the Zune Marketplace and Windows Phone.
Microsoft has yet to confirm the validity of this rumor so we'll have to see how it goes. Personally I don't see why they can't just allow both real money and Microsoft Points to co-exist. They already allow you to purchase Games on Demand using a credit card, it can't be that hard to extend that to other areas.
I have some good news, some bad news and some worse news for fans of Modern Warfare 3.The good news: two new maps have just been released for download. The bad news: these maps are available only to subscribers to Call of Duty Elite. The worse news: if you are a paid subscriber but play on PlayStation 3, you'll have to wait.
If you match the requirements set by Activision then today you can get your hands on the two new maps: Liberation and Piazza. To download your new maps just fire up Modern Warfare 3 and get them from the "Download Elite Content" section inside the in-game store. You can then play the maps in a special Elite-only playlist.
These first two maps are just the beginning of Activision's planned 20 content drops for Elite members over the next year. PlayStation 3 Elite subscribers can expect these two maps at a later date. Non-subscribers will see these maps folded into a normal downloadable map pack once Activision has enough maps to create one.
A couple weeks ago Microsoft announced the titles that would be released for their spring Xbox Live Arcade promotion, House Party. The four games are Warp, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Nexuiz and I Am Alive. Today they have announced the price for each game and when they will release:
February 15 - Warp (800 Microsoft Points)
February 22 - Alan Wake's American Nightmare (1,200 MSP)
February 29 - Nexuiz (800 MSP)
March 7 - I Am Alive (1,200 MSP)
The prices of each title seem spot on, with the two big-budget games sitting higher than the two smaller, lesser known titles. In addition to the prices Microsoft also announced that there will be a special similar to past XBLA promotions. If you buy all four House Party titles between February 15 and March 13 you'll receive 800 Microsoft Points back. Not a bad way to go with a bunch of downloadable titles that look pretty solid.
Despite statements to the contrary by creator David Jaffe, it seems like Twisted Metal may indeed receive the controversial PlayStation Network Pass after all. Sony's brand of the online pass has already been witnessed in games like Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3 so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the latest PlayStation 3 exclusive will also fall in line.
The Gamers Hub broke the story when they spoke with QA Lead Justin Trease about the subject at CES. He answered "yes," when asked about the inclusion of the PSN Pass. Previously Jaffe had spoke up saying that he ideally didn't want the PSN Pass inside Twisted Metal, which he feels still has "a mountain to climb in terms of gaining people’s good faith." If the PSN Pass takes the same form as previous Sony games it will block access to multiplayer modes unless players input a code that came with their brand new game or pay $10 to purchase one if they either rented or bought the game used.
Twisted Metal is set to release on February 14 exclusively for the PlayStation 3.
Last June saw the release of an interesting title with a ton of ambition and plenty of big names to back it up. Shadows of the Damned comes from the creative minds of Suda 51, the man behind off-the-wall titles like Killer7 and No More Heroes, and Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame. The game features egotistical Mexican demon-hunter Garcia Hotspur and his wise-cracking sidekick Johnson, a floating skull who can transform into a variety of weapons. Hotspur's girlfriend, Paula, is captured by the demon-lord Fleming and the pair must enter the underworld to rescue her.
This bizarre set up leads to a game that is equal parts hilarious, irreverent and disturbing. It also stands as one of the most stylistically original titles in recent memory. On top of the crazy setting is a solid third-person shooter with interesting weapons, cool boss fights and plenty of crazy mechanics, like shooting goat heads to light up an area.
Hit the jump to hear why Shadows of the Damned is a title that you might have missed.
Hello and welcome back to The KNOXbroadcast Family show. This is Episode 2 of the complete KB crew with special guest Lakeidea, our young and always chipper, smiling, college sorority creating cousin. We go deep into some of our TV shows we’ve been watching along with a couple suspect kiddy shows that the entire gang isn’t afraid to divulge. We also discuss many situations faced by Christian college/workplace goers in today’s social climate. Speaking of social we touch on smart phones and the ability to gain instant access to social networking outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, Google plus and how these outlets have the infectious ability to allow people to show who they really are.
