News Round-Up For February 2 - 8: Shit Gets Delayed, Microsoft Says The Net Sometimes Lies

Written By: Tyler

Hello people, I am back for yet another News Round-Up. Every week I do a run through of some of the most important news of the week... or at least the news that is a) important to me or b) easy to make fun of. Let's see what this week had for us.


It Turns Out That People Like Minecraft
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/minecraft-sells-14-million-on-pc-series-total-over-35-million

Notch confirmed that the PC version of Minecraft has sold 14 million, with the total sales on all platforms figured to be over 35 million. Despite the fact that Notch thinks Mario Kart isn't a real game (GRRR), I have to give praise to the game for how innovative it is. It's hard to deny that Minecraft is a cash magnet, with how many copies it has sold and how much attention it gets on Youtube just by making a video about it.

I mean, I'm only reporting the news to get more views for my blog. Did I mention Minecraft?


Is Duke Returning In A Game That Isn't A First-Person Shooter?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-duke-nukem-game-teased-for-playstation-and-pc/1100-6417484/

According to this article he is. The game was teased for Playstation and PC, and won't be a first-person shooter. The game is going to be called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction and it will have experience points and tech trees. To be honest I don't like the idea of Duke leaving the FPS genre but I do welcome evolving with RPG elements thrown in.

I guess it doesn't matter though, since I'm 28 now and by the time it releases I'll be dead.


Titanfall Developer Has Fears of the Upcoming Launch For The Greatest FPS To Ever Exist
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-dev-has-a-bit-of-fear-over-game-s-release/1100-6417483/

The Titanfall developer is excited for the release next month of their wildly hyped FPS but they are also a little scared because they want the launch to be smooth.

I won't even make an EA joke here because I feel for Respawn.
But EA sucks.


Microsoft Is Going To Release News on Xbone Free Games Soon
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-free-game-promotion-news-coming-soon/1100-6417482/

So news that isn't really news. Or is it news within news? News within news within news? Yes Internet, you know where I'm going with this:

Wait, I think I screwed that up. I mean Newsception! That's what I mean! Whew that was close, almost looked like an idiot.

New Lord of the Rings Game Is Only Single Player, Also Not On Wii U
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-won-t-have-multiplayer-not-coming-to-wii-u/1100-6417481/

Promising LotR game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn't going to have multiplayer and it's not going to be on Wii U. I don't know why I wrote that out again. I guess I just feel obligated to say something about it. Hey, I did say it was promising at least.

Microsoft Says That They Aren't Planning On Making Xbones $399
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exec-responds-to-399-xbox-one-rumor/1100-6417473/

They also said you can't believe everything on the internet.

Somebody Leaked The Games That Are Available In the Playstation Now Beta
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-games-include-killzone-3-shadow-of-the-colossus-few-more/1100-6417469/

In another shocking turn of events, someone on the internet couldn't be trusted to keep a secret and leaked the list of games that you can play if you're involved in the Playstation Now beta. 

I'm not going to support foolishness like leaks so I won't be posting a list of the games. I'll just post a link to a site that does. You're welcome Sony.


Bungie Says They Won't Have Mounts in Destiny, Also Kinda Blasts PETA
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-s-destiny-won-t-feature-animal-mounts/1100-6417485/

Bungie said that Destiny wouldn't have mounts because the heavy-armor of the Titans kept breaking their backs and PETA would go berserk, which I can't imagine being the case. I mean really now, the people who made Mario Kills Tanooki (IT WAS JUST A JOKE, NOT DAMAGE CONTROL) would never ever kick up a fuss.
 


Ubisoft Abandons A Watch Dogs Trademark, Game Is Cancelled
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-abandons-watch-dogs-trademark-what-does-that-mean/1100-6417495/

But don't worry they have five more! The game is still coming! It'll be okay, just take a moment to curse me for the title. 

Okay, ready? Now move on.

UPDATE: Then it turns out that whoever abandoned the trademark did it without the knowledge of Ubisoft.  

UPDATE VERSION 2.0: They reinstated the trademark. Quit playing with my heart.


Hyper Light Drifter Delayed
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/hyper-light-drifter-delayed-until-holiday-season

Alex Preston stated that "[the money received from the Kickstarter exceeded expectations so now the game has to go from Awesome to Awesomer]" and he cited health issues. So on a serious note, I hope all is well with him because you don't fuck around with your health.


ReRoll Looks To Generate (Most) Of the World, Might Catch You Doing Dirty Things
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/ex-ubisoft-ea-devs-reveal-ambitious-rpg-reroll

So... I'm just going to pull down the blinds on my window now...

In all seriousness, ReRoll is extremely ambitious, with them sending drones up in the air to generate the environments of the world, all within reason of course. If this succeeds, it could be pretty awesome, or at the very least memorable for that reason alone.

It isn't really going to catch you doing dirty things, by the way.

Or is it?

 


Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes Isn't Going To Be A Very Long Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mgs-5-ground-zeroes-campaign-may-only-take-you-two-hours/1100-6417524/

AND I DON'T EVEN CARE, JUST GIVE ME MGS5: GZ RIGHT NOW. Take me as you wish, Metal Gear.

Even the rain is full of nanomachines!

Jordan Amaro basically stated that length has nothing to do with quality, and brought attention to Dear Esther and Journey, which I definitely agree with, but those are also cheaper... oh who am I kidding? See my comment above the picture.

UPDATE: It seems that lots of people have commented on this. Kojima himself said he believes people will be satisfied and that Phantom Pain will be hundreds of times larger, while the Shadows of the Damned director said that creators having to justify the length of their games is a problem with the industry.

Again, I actually agree with these people to a certain extent. I think people complain way too much about length in games, even if they offer 10 hours of gameplay. Games got more expensive because our technology is better. If people want these triple-A titles with amazing graphics and whatnot, they have to be prepared to pay for that.

However! A possible $40 dollars for two hours is a little much, even if it is Metal Gear. Drop the price and the controversy goes away, especially considering we still have the actual full game coming too. 100 buckaroos for one game? Unfortunately I'll still get it because I fiend for MGS like a junkie.


Kinect Based Tech Is Protecting Borders
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/kinect-based-tech-being-used-to-protect-korean-border/1100-6417491/

So apparently Kinect is being used for something, um, useful? It's protecting the border between North and South Korea. You can do your fantasy football league, talk to the Kinect and now you can use it for security!

Finally found its use. Dem feels.

 
 

Yasumi Matsuno Talks About His New Game, Unsung Story
http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-tactics-director-talks-new-game-269947.phtml

Unsung Story is a biographical game about this very blog!

No, it is actually a turn-based RPG with a job system and no main character. Given his expertise in such things, it's very easy to be excited for this.


The Uncharted Movie Is Still Going To Happen
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-movie-still-happening/1100-6417526/

While the Uncharted movie is still going to happen, the director of Identity Thief and Horrible Bosses is the most recent name attached to the project.

But I think we've forgotten one man:

Uwe Boll, our savior.

Super Mario Is In Happy Meals
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/help-nintendo-post-a-profit-by-eating-these-super-mario-happy-meals/1100-6417539/

In the UK they're going to have a Super Mario Happy Meal for a limited time, and this is the only time ever I've been jealous of the UK. Give me Happy Meals, I live in North America!


Warface, Crytek's New Free-To-Play Shooter Came To Xbox 360 This Week...
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/04/star-wars-the-old-republic-getting-two-expansions-in-2014

...But it's not really free. You need Xbox Live Gold in order to play it.

I'm going to save you some time. Don't play this game. The stupidity doesn't stop at the name, so you're better off playing something else.


Microsoft Planning Two Updates -- One in February And One In March
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/05/upcoming-xbox-one-updates-to-fix-party-chat-add-features

The first update, which comes Feb. 11, will fix party chat and some other issues. The update in March is going to get the Xbox One ready for Titanfall.

EA Talks About Their Free-To-Play Remake of Dungeon Keeper
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-free-to-play-criticisms/1100-6417571/

EA has responded to the hate that players have thrown at their remake of the classic PC game Dungeon Keeper. But I won't quote it here, and instead I will just say... EA, please just...

Stop while you're, um, ahead?

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain May Not Be Released Until December, 2015
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-might-not-come-out-until-december-2015/1100-6417568/

Konami has stated that depending on the development stage, the release date for the game I'm most anticipating may be pushed back until next year, at least.

To which I reply down on my knees, face in my hands, crying enough manboy tears for twenty people. I could deal with a Watch Dogs delay, but Metal Gear is just going too far. Something must be done. Sign my petition.

Editor's Note: Petition doesn't exist. Well not mine, maybe someone made one.
Editor's Note: I'm actually the editor too. Which is why there's no editing done in any articles.


Speaking Of Delays, Titanfall For the 360 Is Delayed And Will Now Be Released Two Weeks Later
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/titanfall-delayed-on-xbox-360

Sorry guys.


Rust Removes Zombies In Latest Patch
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/rust-update-removes-zombies

Because there are too many ways to die already, the developers of Rust have removed zombies with their latest patch. Since they were the only game to have zombies, this leaves a large hole for all you zombie fanatics, but don't worry, I got your back.

Naughty Dog Are Considering A Sequel To The Last of Us... Or New IP
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/naughty-dog-contemplating-the-last-of-us-2

I pretty much sum it up in the title, but after developing the DLC for The Last of Us, they are taking a breather. However, they are brainstorming ideas... some of which include a sequel to the hit The Last of Us.

I'll give this one to you. You're welcome.

Take-Two Talks About Development For Various Platforms
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/take-two-ceo-tablet-gaming-not-quite-there-yet

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick (cool name!) has talked about a variety of platforms over the past week. In a nutshell he said mobile gaming isn't quite there yet but knows there's a future, the Oculus Rift is interesting and he is hesitant about developing for the Wii U.

Developers not wanting to make games for the Wii U, in 2014? Man... join the club.

You can go where the red arrow is Take-Two... wait your turn.

Sledgehammer Games Developing The 2014 Call of Duty
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/sledgehammer-games-developing-2014s-call-of-duty-release

It was reported this week that now the Call of Duty games will be on a three year cycle, so three different CoDs, three different developers. I full expect innovation. The influences that I expect to seep through in the future CoDs are; Minecraft, River City Ransom, Bubble Bobble, Final Fantasy and Shadow of the Colossus. Or or or, let's just have it take place in Silent Hill. Yes, let's do that one.


BREAKING NEWS -- THERE ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE TERRORIZING EVERYONE ON RUST
http://www.destructoid.com/rust-if-you-see-the-penis-brothers-take-off-your-pants-270096.phtml



Proof of why video games are superior to everything.


Flappy Bird Is Going Away (Thank God!)
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/flappy-bird-creator-taking-game-down-but-not-because-of-legal-issues/1100-6417612/

Or it may already be gone. Kurt Vonnegut once said that if God exists than music is the best proof of him/her. I disagree, Kurt, you wonderful bastard... Flappy Bird going away is proof of God.

Anyway, the developer said he just can't take it anymore and the game is going to disappear. He won't be selling it anymore, so it'll almost be like Flappy Bird never existed. Only it did... and people kept talking about it, over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

Bye Flappy Bird!

Don't Worry, The Division Is Not In Trouble
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-xbox-one-game-the-division-not-in-trouble-dev-insists/1100-6417600/

I didn't even know it was suggested that the game was in trouble. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have been alive to write the News Round-Up for this week. I guess most people would say that'd be a good thing, but I digress.

So don't worry, The Division is still going to come out, and it's still going to be awesome. The two studio approach doesn't mean shit, and it's just "classic team size management." So rejoice, because you will still get to see the light shine through the bullet holes in the signs you shoot. Yay next gen!



Well that's it for this week. Geez these things are long. Can you believe that I edit this post every day? Yes, I put real work into being this crappy.

If there is any news I missed, feel free to write this thing your damn self. Or just reply in the comments below or on my Twitter @ArtBathednCrime. Thank you for reading!

My 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2014: 30 - 16

Written By: Tyler Selig    

I've been to the future, I know.

               

                Before I celebrate the year in games, I just want to take an opportunity to give you a rundown of some – not all because that’s way too much work – of my games that I’m anticipating most next year. Believe me, next year is shaping up to be an incredible year, but then, all years are good, regardless of what some people want to say. This will be two parts, the first part released today and the second released tomorrow so make sure to check back.

However, this year there was a bit of a lull at the beginning, as their often is, but next year has decided to launch a bunch of games of interest right off the bat.

These have to be games that have at least been announced for a 2014 release, even if they end up getting delayed. It feels wrong not including some of the games that were in the rough draft of the list, but the integrity of the list is important so I argued with myself to come up with the thirty games that, as of this moment, I am most hyped for that come out in 2014! Let’s do this. 

Games I Forgot When Making the List:

Conception II – 2014 North American release, looks like a great RPG.

The Evil Within – Will hopefully be incredibly scary.

South Park and the Stick of Truth – Much delayed, looks to have the South Park charm.

Quantum Break – Could just be a shit-ton of fun.

DayZ – The kind of game that is “next gen” to me. It’s in Alpha now. Hopefully 2014 sees the full release.

Dungeon Defenders 2 – I can’t believe I forgot some of these games. So hyped for this one.

30: Bravely Default (3DS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947ROLASPpQ

                There are a bunch of games next year coming to both Wii U and 3DS, but Bravely Default is the only game on this list that is only coming to 3DS. I’m sure the 3DS will have another fantastic year, but as of making this list… it was a little dry on 3DS exclusives.

                I’m a JRPG guy, having grown up playing Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, etc and it’s nice to see another JRPG hit North American shores and look awesome. A big selling point to me here is the fact that there’s a job system, which I always appreciate.

               

29: Child of Light (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkljZTI2ryA

                Damn, another JRPG thrown in here? Yes, and due to the fact that I have faith in Ubisoft, I’m really excited for this one. It looks beautiful, and with its platforming and story, it looks like it’s going to be something truly special.

28: LISA the painful RPG (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7UohKnVts

                Wow another RPG! But yeah, I Kickstartered this, and I’m really excited because it has an interesting premise and looks to do quite a bit of interesting things with the premise. It has a gritty, dark art-style but it’s not without humour. The creator has a better description of what to expect from this game, so I’ll just link the Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/131274701/lisa-the-painful-rpg

27: Interstellar Marines (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5ED2zyLdg8

                I haven’t actually played this even though I can, mostly because I don’t want to play betas… I bought it because it said it was going to be like Rainbow Six with some RPG elements, and that had me sold because we don’t have a lot of tactical shooters anymore, and I love me some RPG elements in shooters anyway. Not to mention my older brother, who I do most of my gaming with, also likes those things and this game is going to have co-op. I haven’t even really read about it anymore or watched videos, because they already have my money and I want to experience it when it’s done, so it may not be shaping up to be much for all I know, but I’m excited.

26:  Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqJdZQPBDF0

                Insomniac Games meets Parkour, crazy platforming action… with some fun, silly violence. I just think this game is going to be a great time for those who aren’t super cereal all the time. Makes me wish I had an Xbox One.

25: Halo 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fEKcOK8gno

                It’s not that I’m against Halo, because I am most definitely not. I love Halo – it’s been one of my go-to Multiplayer shooters for years and I always play through the campaign. I got mad respect for Halo. Playstation 4 was always going to be my primary system, but when Microsoft fucked up their E3 Press Conference, I didn’t say, “Goodbye Microsoft.” I said, “Goodbye Halo.” It’s that important.

                It’s just that there are so many new experiences coming, and games in series that I like more, that the anticipation for Halo drops a little. Look, I don’t need to tell you that Halo 5 is going to be awesome, because they’ve all been (ODST less so, but it was still good). If you’re reading this blog you probably already know what the series has given us, and seeing the first Next-Gen entry will be incredible. It’ll be one of the games of the year.

                That trailer is also epic as hell.

24: Pillars of Eternity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-CPTsWLfWM

                Formally known as Project Eternity, this is a throw-back to those classic PC Point-And-Click RPGs – except this time it’s not focused on D&D. That seems like it’d be controversial a little bit, but I don’t really care because while there are a few of them I really like, PC gaming was not my thing back then (as I never even got my first PC until I was 16, and it wasn’t a gaming one anyway). I don’t have loyalty to the old guard, is what I’m trying to say.

                Pillars of Eternity looks to be a fantastic addition to the genre, however, and I eagerly await the tactical gameplay, and I hope that there’s a good amount of depth because let’s face it… this genre without depth is a terrible tragedy.

23: Torment: Tides of Numenera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9CiS5L8zVM

                Planescape: Torment is my favourite game in the canon of the PC Point-And-Click RPGs. I loved the humour, and the plot was up there with the all-time greats. I also enjoyed the fact that you didn’t really have to fight, so it opened up the game a little bit more than other games within the genre.

                Well, this is the spiritual successor, and even if it’s only half as good as the original, it’ll be awesome.

               

22: Hyper Light Drifter (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMosNHhyxI

                I think this ends up being one of those special indie games that come along and show the big boys how to do it, much like a game like Bastion. Everything from the beautiful visuals to the music, to the intense looking action… this is shaping up to be an epic adventure, and I certainly can’t wait to play it. That trailer is awesome.

21: Below (Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrVvw9etSk

                That video above is all I’ve seen about the game, and that’s all it took. I mean, it also helps that I was such a fan of Sword & Sworcery, so I have a tremendous amount of faith. Like Hyper Light Drifter, this will be special. It’ll be one of the games of the year.

                Even the view is a little bit different, it being more pulled out than most games. You have the team that did Sword & Sworcery, with Guthrie returning to do the music – I just can’t see how this can’t be amazing. It’s another reason why I need an Xbox One.

20: Transistor (PS4, PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXq0yuW6BvM

                I’ve mentioned Bastion, and now we have the successor to that classic – Transistor. It looks to follow the same formula that brought Bastion to the dance, which is a wonderful story and fun action, but I’m not saying that they’re just using all the same tricks because they aren’t, such as the fact that it’s got turn-based strategy. To be hones the gameplay sort-of reminds me of Parasite Eve in ways, which is always a good thing.

19: The Elder Scrolls Online (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWXjzLEGV9U

As much as I try not to be excited for this game because of the monthly subscription fee, I can’t help it! I’ve always said that while the Elder Scrolls games are great, if they let me play with someone they’d be so much better. And sure enough, here we are, and this may be a game I wave my hate for monthly subscription fees and actually pick up.

18: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ_G6XiHoUA

               

                The only reason this isn’t higher is because I haven’t played the first or second games, and I don’t know if that means that I won’t understand the story in the third or not. I hope that they do a good job of introducing newbies to the series, plot-wise, because this game looks like it’s going to live up to the hype.

17: Watch Dogs (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Your Eyeballs, Atari 2600, PS8, Xbox Two, Game Gear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPYgXvgS6Ww

                There’s this game that built a ridiculous amount of excitement last year, and then we thought we’d finally play it in 2013, but now we’re not. My hype dropped a little bit over the year, mostly because they were throwing so much into our face, but it’s hard to deny that Watch Dogs is going to do something original with the Sandbox genre.

                It’s also coming to everything so you’ll be able to play it.

16: No Man’s Sky (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRpDn5qPp3s

                This game came out of nowhere and blew people away. They promise to let you explore anything that you can see, and this is a really ambitious game for such a small team. There’s not a hell of a lot known about it so far, but it looks to be an awe-inspiring experience.

                 So make sure to tune in tomorrow for the final fifteen. Each day up until the new year there will be new content, so make sure to check out this blog everyday! After my most anticipated games of 2014, I'll have my miscellaneous awards for 2013 games, and then four days of listing my top 40 games of 2013.