Bethesda’s vice president of PR talked with IGN during E3 last week to discuss the current situation regarding the in-limbo Prey 2. Last we heard, the game had been taken from developer Human Head Studios, and is now being worked on at Dishonored’s developer, Arkane.

While Hines didn’t address those details at all, he did offer up some straight dope about why the game is still not done. Simply put, it’s just not good enough:

“We appreciate that folks are displeased that we haven’t had any update or any info on Prey 2, but whatever your displeasure is, you can’t even be remotely as unhappy about it as us. We spent years and millions of dollars and a ton of effort trying to help Human Head make a great Prey 2 game. What we said the last time we said anything was that it’s not up to our quality standards.

[…] it’s simply not good enough. We’re not going to just proceed blindly with something that isn’t good enough. We’ve been very specific about why, and we’ve been very specific about the whats. When that gets addressed and changed or whatever, at that point we can give an update. But nobody’s disappointment is greater than ours. We spent a lot of time and money and effort trying to make this thing happen and support folks, but at the same time, you just can’t keep throwing money at it and saying, ‘sure, it’ll eventually work.’ You have to have the discipline to say, ‘it’s not good enough. It’s not hitting the quality bar. Why isn’t it? We’ve been at this for a while, and what we have is not what we talked about.’ So that’s where we are.”

Hopefully fans of the franchise will hear more from Bethesda soon, but as disappointing as this is, at the very least, you have to appreciate the publisher’s commitment to only putting out games that they think are quality. Sure, that should be the idea with every game, but we all know that’s not really possible. If nothing else, Bethesda’s public statements regarding only putting out quality games—and then sticking to them by not releasing games that have been in development for years—proves why the publisher has found so much success with fans over the years.

[Via IGN]

Announced today was the long-awaited Hotline Miami 2, a sequel to last year’s twisted, genre-bending murder-fest, Hotline Miami. The game is in development by the same team, Dennaton Games (published by Devolver Digital) and will have you stepping into “the murderous minds of several distinct characters.”

The press release given to us about the game indicates that the game will still be very much about clearing areas “floor-by-floor” and using “savage new weapons to satisfy your murder lust.”

Here’s the official description provided by Devolver:

“You’re a murderer. You murder people. Again. And again. How certain you are of your actions and what is, and what is not, real is what you must determine in Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, due out later this year from developer Dennaton Games and publisher Devolver Digital.

The epic finale to 2012’s blood-soaked hit follows an escalating level of violence through multiple factions born from the events of the original game — all within the confines of blistering combat, the unmistakable visual style, and another powerful and intense soundtrack that pushes you to the limit and forces you to question your own thirst for blood.”

They’re not kidding about that soundtrack. It still gives me shivers.

Hotline Miami 2 is slated for release this year for PC, Mac and Linux. Check below for the game’s official logo and a handful of screenshots.

It’s not been an easy ride for Wii U owners since Nintendo’s latest home console was released last November. The revolutionary and exciting games we were promised (and in some cases even shown!) haven’t yet materialized, while other really cool games have finally been debuted at E3, only to still be tantalizingly out of reach with late 2013 or sometime-in-2014 release dates.

Worse, exclusive games that we thought we’d get at launch haven’t been released yet, and are no longer exclusive. Okay, no more vague third-person plural: I’m talking about Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends, and I’ve long suspected that the publisher’s decision to take away the Wii U’s exclusivity and delay it by close to a year after the console’s launch has had to do with the company’s lack of faith in the system’s health. And a post on GamesBeat today would seem to confirm this PRECISELY.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot spoke candidly about why Rayman Legends was delayed and brought to multiple platforms, cutting Nintendo’s hopes for an exclusive third-party killer app down to size:

“What happened was that we saw the Wii U was not going to sell enough of those games. The game is going to be fantastic, and we didn’t want those creators to wind up in a position where even after making a fantastic game, they didn’t sell well enough. We decided that we had to come out on enough machines that players can try it out on any one that they have, and give more time to both improve the game on the Wii U and create versions for the other consoles.

I think it was the right decision for gamers and for the team. My role is to make sure that the team is happy with the quality of the work they do and the reach they can have. The quality is there now, because they had more time. They’ve expanded the possibilities of the game. It’s much bigger content-wise. We have new bosses in key levels and so on. The experience is much more complete. I think it will be one of the best games we’ve ever done.

Sometimes we have to go against the urge to get to market too fast. We have to make sure we give enough time and resources to our creators to they can reach the potential in their games. This time, they were very close to excellence, but not quite there.”

I can’t blame Guillemot for wanting the game to sell as well as possible—not anymore, at least. But, again, it’s tough to sell a system without must-have software that can only be found there. Hopefully the Wii U’s forthcoming exclusives from Platinum games, Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, will do the job that Rayman Legends should’ve done.

At the very least, it’s nice to hear Guillemot actually come out and say what we’ve long been suspecting: that developers and publishers are staying the heck away from the Wii U until it can demonstrate a better performance. And while it pains me as a Wii U owner, I have to say, t doesn’t surprise me.

[GamesBeat via Eurogamer]

Update

Eurogamer has confirmed that the Xbox 360 exclusive DLC is a timed exclusive. So, feel free to buy on whatever platform you like, so long as you don’t mind waiting a bit. Boink.

Original Post

The forthcoming XCOM  prequel, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, will have pre- and post-launch DLC, says publisher 2K Games. As to what form the DLC will take after the game launches, well, that’s a bit of a mystery. But we do know that there will be more than one DLC offering, since 2K has announced that the FIRST DLC pack “will be available exclusively to Xbox 360 players.”

Now, there’s a little confusion on that point. Eurogamer’s Twitter account posted this less than an hour ago:

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified DLC that's exclusive to Xbox 360 is, 2K told me, only a 30-day timed exclusive: http://t.co/FNVYZqb52H

— Eurogamer.net (@eurogamer) June 19, 2013

So…is it a timed exclusive? Or will the DLC begin as an Xbox exclusive and stay that way? It’s kind of an important detail.

Anyway, pre-ordering the game will get gamers a DLC side-mission called “Codebreakers,” so if you are definitely going to get this game, and want to get all the content you can get, pre-ordering is definitely a good way to go. Additionally, pre-ordering through GameStop provides players with the “light plasma pistol” as an exclusive in-game item. I can say with confidence having played XCOM: Enemy Unknown—plasma pistols are PRETTY GREAT. So that’s not a bad way to go with things.

Personally, I’m really, really considering this game. Hard. I really want it. But I’m just so scared that the long years of development and its many reboots along the way may not work in its benefit…

I’m cautiously optimistic, though. The Bureau drops on August 23 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

[Via 2K Games]

Folks have been kind of annoyed at Microsoft and the company’s plans for how users will buy the games for its next system, the Xbox One. To summarize, you’re not buying a game—you’re buying a license for a game. That license will have all kinds of potential restrictions and caveats if you want to loan or borrow a game, or sell one or buy one used. But at the end of the day, it’s a way to take game ownership out of the realm of the physically owned disc, and closer to basic digital ownership.

For those of us who’ve grown up buying and trading physical media, the idea that we won’t literally OWN the game we buy is kind of a difficult concept to swallow, despite the fact that buying games digitally—and not being able to trade, lend, or resell them—has felt pretty normal. For whatever reason, there’s a division in our minds between physical and digital game buying, even though, essentially, it’s the same thing.

But it seems that the mega-popular, all-digital game retailer, Valve’s Steam, could soon bring game-sharing into the mix in much the same way that the Xbox One may allow users to share titles. Spotted by Kotaku, there’s code in the latest Steam client beta that suggests a forthcoming “Shared Game Library,” which could allow Steam users to designate some games for lending among their friends lists.

Apparently the library will only allow one user at a time to play a shared game, with notifications alerting users to who’s playing what, and when one user tries to play a game that’s already being played by someone else. It’s ironic that this service will likely be heralded by Steam fans as a fantastic addition to the service, while those same fans have been figuratively storming Microsoft’s gates with pitchforks and torches.

The reason, I think, is because Steam’s introduction of such a feature—if it happens—would feel more gradual than Microsoft’s. If Microsoft had implemented a shared game library among our digital libraries on the Xbox 360, then maybe we would be more forgiving about implementing shared game restrictions on physical media. It would feel like a more natural outgrowth of that policy. As it is, it feels like regulation and anti-consumer practices when, in reality, it might open up some interesting possibilities.

All that aside, I still think this video sums up my feelings about game sharing:

Your thoughts on game sharing?

[Via Eurogamer and Kotaku]

Last night, it seems that some PlayStation 3 users started reporting major problems with their consoles after downloading Sony’s latest firmware update, labeled 4.45. Detailed on the PlayStation 3 support page, PS3 owners have said that they haven’t been able to access the console’s cross-media bar—basically, the entirety of the PS3’s user interface. All they get is just the flowing ribbons of the background…and that sinking feeling, of course.

This morning, Sony issued a statement regarding the update and the problems that have been reported thus far:

“We are aware of reports that the recent PlayStation 3 system software update (version 4.45) has caused the XMB [cross-media bar] to not display on a small number of PS3 systems. We have temporarily taken 4.45 offline and are investigating the cause of the problem. We will announce when the system update is available for download as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Hopefully the affected users will have their consoles fixed ASAP. I’m not near my system, so I haven’t had the chance to see if I, too, have been bricked. Considering how high the folks at Sony have been flying since their handy victory over Microsoft at E3, this might be the dash of cold water the company needs. You know, to make sure they don’t get too BIG FOR THEIR BRITCHES.

But in all seriousness, it’s pretty ironic timing since Sony was suddenly the toast of the gaming town. Let’s all hope this isn’t indicative of what we’ll go through with the PlayStation 4. Sure, software updates can be kind of shaky all the time, but one would hope that the company would get this kind of issue worked out by now, especially considering how old the PS3 is already.

Have any of our readers had problems like this? Let us know in the comments…

[Via Joystiq and PS3 Support]

Nintendo’s Virtual Console is a brilliant platform that provides today’s generation of gamers access to video games from yesteryear. One of the best aspects of this service is the privilege to play some of Nintendo’s classic games, and now, gamers have access to two of the better games in the timeless Legend of Zelda series: the Game Boy Color titles Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages.

The two games are unique to the Zelda franchise. Both games are great individual Zelda adventures on their own, but together they form a much bigger title that rivals the experience you receive playing one of the console games (Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, etc.).

Originally released on the Game Boy Color in 2001, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages aren’t as complex as current iterations of the series. The top-down perspective is reminiscent of the very first Legend of Zelda on the NES. You explore the land screen by screen, discovering useful items like the slingshot and feather to aid you in your journey, as well as unraveling the secrets of eight dungeons that must be conquered if Link is to emerge victorious. In terms of gameplay it’s everything you’d expect from a portable Zelda game, Link’s Awakening DX as the most recent example (which also happened to receive a 3DS Virtual Console release).

The story of Oracle of Seasons has Link on a quest to rescue Din, the actual Oracle of Seasons, who has been kidnapped by the mysterious Onox. In Oracle of Ages, Link discovers that the sorceress Veran has possessed Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and intends to use the oracle’s powers over time to rise to power. Both plots feature unique dungeons, enemies, characters, bosses, and in some cases, items, making the two games individually enjoyable. However, if you choose to play both you’re given a special code at the end of whichever game you finish first that you then enter at the beginning of the next game. By doing so you unlock extra items as well as discover the true ending to the games. Thus, by linking these two games together, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages form a special entry unlike any other in the series, handheld or otherwise..

There are special items unique to each game: the Rod of Seasons and the Harp of Ages. Naturally, the Rod of Seasons appears only in Oracle of Seasons and grants Link the ability to change from one season to the next. Switching seasons greatly alters the landscape and environment: a previously impassible lake may freeze and become traversable in the winter, vines and flowers rise up in the spring leading to new areas, and so on. I was surprised by how well these puzzles held up today, and caught myself scratching my head multiple times trying to figure out where to go next. The Harp of Ages (only available in Oracle of Ages) works in a similar vein, but instead transports Link back and forth between the past and present. Akin to the light and dark world gameplay of A Link to the Past, the two versions of the land feature unique terrain that Link can use to his advantage. For example an entrance to a dungeon may seem unreachable in the present but traveling to the past reveals its entrance. These two elements are core to the Oracle series and remain the best parts of the game that Zelda fans will surely enjoy, whether it’s their first time playing or not.

The Oracle games have a great deal in common with Link’s Awakening, or more specifically the Game Boy Color enhanced remake Link’s Awakening DX, given the borrowed art direction. Many of the character animations, backgrounds, enemies, items, and even Link himself are lifted from the previous game. I’m not going to sit here and knock a 12-year-old game’s visuals, instead I’ll point out the beautiful-for-the-Game-Boy-Color cutscenes in each game. The stylized graphics are a departure from previous Zelda games, but the excellent use of the limited color palette gives each character personality.

The controls for each game are great, which they damn well better be since it’s just two action buttons and the d-pad. The only portion of the game that takes some getting used to are the occasional side scrolling levels (again first seen in Link’s Awakening) which shifts the camera from a top-down perspective to a side view. In these sections Link has to jump across gaps and onto platforms; a drastically different scenario from the rest of the game. It can be awkward to adjust to the shift in gameplay but it’s a minor fault to another unique aspect for the whole series.

The soundtrack is a wonderful rendition of old school beats and MIDI files that resemble familiar Zelda tunes. The overworld music and a handful of the brooding songs that play in the dungeons (more so in Oracle of Seasons I found) are a joy to listen to. Most sound effects like sword slashes and that incessant beeping when you’re low on life are par for the course with the other Zelda titles.

Being a 3DS port the games did go through a few changes. The 3DS’ Virtual Console allows the use of save states, meaning you can save the game through the 3DS’ memory, turn off the console or play another game entirely, then load your game back up at the exact point you created the save state. This is a tremendous alternative to using the in-game save feature, which starts you back at a designated location. That said, there is disadvantage that comes with the port. When the original games were played on the Game Boy Advance a special GBA-only shop would open up that allowed Link to purchase a few special items. As far as I can tell this shop is not present in these newer versions. Considering this additional shop serves no purpose other than providing Link with nonessential items it can be largely omitted as a fault of the game, but it’s worth noting.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are two of the Zelda series’ more interesting titles, but I feel that their release late into the lifecycle of the Game Boy Color skewed some gamers from thoroughly enjoying them. All of that ends now that the duo of games is available on the 3DS’ Virtual Console. Old and new Zelda fans alike have little reason not to download these two games; even twelve years after their release I’d happily play these games to hold me over until the next installment of the series arrives.

+ Two Zelda games intertwine to create one epic story
+ Gameplay holds up to this day
+ A chance for a new generation of gamers to experience these classics

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger takes all the stereotypes of the Wild West and exaggerates them as far as they can go: famous bandits like Jesse James and Billy the Kid are real enemies, bar fights and scuffles with outlaws are commonplace, and duels in the streets are usually the best way to end a disagreement. Gunslinger utilizes these in conjunction with streamlined gameplay, well-paced storytelling, and attention to detail to create an entertaining and exciting shooter.

Set in the early 1900’s, Gunslinger places you in the boots of Silas Greaves, a well-known bounty hunter living out the last of his days drinking in taverns and retelling his stories to any who will listen. His tales include battling an entire battalion of Indians, offing famous outlaws like Jesse James, and in general doing some epic cowboy antics. Not unlike the narrator of Bastion, Silas details the action as it happens, oftentimes backtracking and adding elements that he supposedly forgot the first time (like a bridge conveniently appearing to afford him a quick and easy getaway) which are then physically added or altered in the game world. Plenty of well-written and finely delivered dialogue makes listening to what Silas has to say enjoyable, and the ending in particular stuck out the most.

Gunslinger takes an arcade-style approach to gameplay, favoring a mission-based format over one continuous adventure. The story mode is broken up into short missions that are punctuated by a showdown with a special foe, usually a criminal that Silas has a personal grievance towards. The episodic mission structure is set up so you can play one episode and be satisfied with its conclusion, or play through a few episodes in one play session and get a deeper understanding of the overall story. No matter how you play through the game the story mode can be completed around a dozen hours, which is a shame when the game leaves you wanting for more.

Returning from past Call of Juarez games is the bullet-time ability that allows you to slow down time and pick off enemies with pristine accuracy, not unlike Max Payne and Red Dead Redemption. As you kill enemies you gain experience points that can be used in three different skill trees to enhance Silas’ abilities. Useful power-ups include increased clip sizes, extra resistance to bullets, and a particularly useful skill that makes your guns aim at the heads of enemies instantly when in the aforementioned bullet-time mode. I found the leveling system to be a great way to add a reward system and some customizability to the gameplay.

Level objectives attempt to offer variety but each ultimately boils down to you killing everyone in your way. This façade causes the game’s flow to stumble a bit and can get repetitive, but this doesn’t hinder the overarching experience enough to ruin what’s otherwise a fun title. Hidden in each level are items called nuggets of truth. These items reward you with extra experience points and additional plot details, like background information on certain characters.

After the short and sweet story mode is completed there’s an arcade mode that helps extend the life of the game. In this mode you’re tasked with surviving through waves of enemies as you rack up points by dishing out death and racing to the finish. It’s not a huge leap from what you’d see in the story mode (in fact every setting in arcade mode is a rehash of a story mode level) but it does offer a slightly different challenge. The last mode available, duel, gives you five chances to fight each of the main villains one after the other. Like arcade mode it offers a new challenge but nothing drastically different from the story mode.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a visually remarkable downloadable title. Realistic environments set the mood for the entire game. One level has you drudging through thick mud near an abandoned mill, another has you racing through a lush ravine while in pursuit of an Indian tribe, only to be caught in a gunfight on a speeding train. Gunslinger’s set pieces places you in just about every cliché Wild West setting you could think of. Along with the voice acting, the sound effects are top notch as well: Shotguns blare as they fire, foes scream out they’re coming for you as you hide behind cover, and bullets ricochet off the walls. The visuals and sound come together and create an atmosphere that captures the western theme perfectly.

Aiming can be hit or miss, quite literally. Peering down the sights of your gun gives a more authentic feel but hinders the gameplay. Lining up with your opponents head in the heat of battle is more of a challenge than it should be. Getting jostled as you get shot compounds the issue further, which will result in plenty of ‘game over’ screens before you reign victorious.

Although short, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a fun, exciting, and story-driven game. The way in which Silas recants his tales, the rewarding leveling system, the variety of locations and situations you play through, and the superb voice acting make the game memorable and worthwhile. There are shortcomings, like the overall story mode brevity and the sketchy aiming, but these are just blemishes on what turns out to be a fantastic Wild West shooter.

+ Satisfying mixture of narrative and gameplay
+ Solid voice acting
- No replay value

8/10

A report on Deadline Hollywood today reveals that BioShock creator and Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine will be writing a screenplay for the long-awaited Logan’s Run remake. Let’s hope he sneaks a bunch of “Big Daddy” references in there just so all us vidya game nerds can laugh knowingly.

As the post notes, Levine actually started his career in entertainment as a screenwriter and playwright before trading in his FANCY WRITIN’ QUILL for a keyboard. You know, for writing video games. This is not the best metaphor. Moving on.

Anyway, the Logan’s Run reboot project has been kicking around for quite a while, with various directors, writers, and actors attached to help it move forward, with all of them bowing out for one reason or another. So the news that Levine is going to write a screenplay for this project means, well, that he’s been hired to write a screenplay. Chances are very good that he’s going to do it, and turn it in. After that—it’s anybody’s guess.

The producers may say it’s the bee’s knees—or they may commission yet another screenwriter to take a pass. This movie may never, ever get made. Then again, maybe Levine’s streak of entertainment successes with the BioShock franchise is just the kind of juice he needs to make the script work. You  never know…

[Via Deadline Hollywood]

The Cave, the Ron Gilbert-designed game from Double Fine, is headed to iOS devices. The news comes by way of a post on Joystiq, which reports that it’ll be coming to the mobile platform sometime this summer, though when, and for how much, isn’t totally clear.

In addition, the game will feature touch-optimized controls, meaning that players will tap and drag their characters around the environment rather than giving them “virtual” buttons or control pads. That’s probably a good move, since those are typically THE WORST.

It’s possible that if you weren’t super excited by the prospect of playing this game on consoles, a mobile version might be more up your alley. Our own Lawrence decided that the console version left a lot to be desired, but it’s conceivable that you’re more amenable to playing the game while commuting on the bus, or dropping a deuce, or whenever it is that you play mobile games. In my case, sometimes it’s a combination of those first two things.

I think this post took a weird turn just there. Let’s end it now.

[Via Joystiq]

Development on the artificial intelligence for this November’s Call of Duty: Ghosts is taking longer than it should, due to Infinity Ward lacking final versions of PS4 and XBO hardware. At least, that’s how executive producer Mark Rubin put it to Official PlayStation Magazine.

He said that work on AI is “slower than some of the graphics” because they don’t have actual final hardware on hand. He notes that the ambitions and scope of the game have to be handled with caution in times like these.

“Obviously we are in crazy early development and we will have to see how the consoles play out,” Rubin said. Enemies are being designed to behave more dynamically to in-game events, such as your dog attacking them or a flippin’ building falling on their head.

“They might behave differently to the dog, or behave a little differently compared to the events that are happening in the level.They take some of the environment cues and pay attention to them. A lot of times they just kind of ignore the environment, they are just like, ‘OK this guy is supposed to be here I’m shooting, but the building is falling all over me… No, I’m still shooting you.’

So sort of doing stuff like that. It is subtle, really subtle. AI in general is one of those things [where] the subtle things are often easy to notice when it is bad.”

Rubin clarified that they’re making “big strides” in development (even though the phrase “early development” used earlier is concerning), but can’t push the AI further until they know more of what they’re working with from a tech perspective.

But let’s get to what really matters here…

Does this mean that the fish might not be able to swim away from you in the final version as Infinity Ward has greatly prophesied? See the above video for more breaking information.

[Source: OPM]

As with most games without official modding support on the PC, the Saints Row community has had to rely on tools generated from within to get their ideas into the game. However, franchise developer Volition is changing that with their preparation of official mod tools to share with the community for use with Saints Row: The Third and, potentially later on, Saints Row IV.

Jeff Thompson, Volition’s studio director of programming, is currently prepping the proper engine tools to make available to modders soon. A community modder assisting in this process by the name of IdolNinja says that these tools will help in the creation and editing of guns, vehicles, clothing, NPC a.i., missions and geometry – helping to “enhance the Saints Row games in ways we never even dared to dream of.”

There’s no sort of time window for when these tools will arrive, but with Saints Row IV from Deep Silver (rest in peace, THQ) right around the corner, we can’t imagine you’ll be without them for much longer.

In fact, we anticipate a substantial increase in the release of purple dildo-based weaponry soon.

[Source: Idol Ninja]

One of last year’s Kickstarter successes, Shadowrun Returns from Harebrained Schemes, is set to come out for PC, Mac, iPad, and Android tablets on July 25. A little over a year after the campaign managed to quadruple its goal with $1.8 million in pledged funding, the game is finally going to launch as a single-player tactical RPG.

A post on GameInformer about the forthcoming launch reports that Shadowrun Returns will feature a campaign editor for the Steam version, meaning that players who want to get their hands dirty and make interesting new versions of the game for their friends can do so. How cool is that?

And even if you didn’t jump in the Kickstarter funding to guarantee you a copy of the game, that’s still okay: you can pre-order the game through Steam for $17.99 (or the deluxe version for $31.49). That ain’t bad. I’m considering doing that myself, having missed the Kickstarter period myself.

What do you think? Are you stoked to see what a Kickstarted game can do? This, to my knowledge, is one of the first high-profile Kickstarted projects from last year’s game-funding surge to actually come out and hit the market. I’m sure there are others I’m not thinking of, but Shadowrun Returns was definitely one of the titles to ride the wave started by Double Fine’s enormous success. I’m eager to see what a successfully Kickstarted game actually turns out to be like. And now that I know when it’s coming out? Kind of hard to resist…

[Via GameInformer and Kickstarter]

During all of the usual hustle and bustle of E3 last week, Nintendo quietly announced that they’re working on a free-to-play game(s) strategy for their consoles, the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Now, we have a few more details on it, specifically that The Big N has plans to avoid an “unbalanced” setup of players dishing out “extremely large amounts of money.”

President of Nintendo of Japan Satoru Iwata mentioned all of this during an E3 investor meeting last week.

“Free-to-play games, if unbalanced, could result in some consumers paying extremely large amounts of money, and we can certainly not expect to build a good relationship with our consumers in this fashion.

In order to have a favorable long-term relationship, we would like to offer free-to-play games that are balanced and reasonable.”

Iwata was also quick to clarify that this game will not revolve around Mario, Pokemon, or the universes those franchises inhabit, because Nintendo tends to hold those IPs to a very high standard, and also might not like the idea of dishing those out for chump change or less.

“With games like Mario and Pokémon, we already have a sufficient degree of trust with our consumers who are willing to pay a certain sum of money to purchase our products as packaged software,” Iwata said.

“On the other hand, what are we to do when we want to offer a completely new product whose value consumers are yet to understand? Consumers are not sure if it is worth outlaying a certain sum of money for such a product.

In such circumstances, our current platforms (Nintendo 3DS and Wii U), which give us various monetization options that would not have been possible on past Nintendo platforms, enable us to make propositions in a free-to-play format.”

And if free-to-play isn’t your jam, there’s always the certainly-not-free Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World, Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS, and Donkey Kong: Tropical Breeze coming in the next year.

[via Nintendo]

It’s pretty clear at this point that Ubisoft’s favorite franchise is Assassin’s Creed. There’s a new installment every year and a big budget movie in the works. The publisher may own a whole host of IPs, but Assassin’s Creed is clearly the one the company loves more than any other.

That said, that doesn’t mean that Ubisoft doesn’t want to spread the love. A post on CVG reports that at E3 last week Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag director Ash Ismail teased a hidden Easter Egg in the upcoming game.

What kind of Easter Egg, you ask? Ismail isn’t telling, but the post speculates that it could relate back to the publisher’s Far Cry franchise, an assertion that’s backed up with an Assassin’s Creed Easter Egg that was found in Far Cry 3. Since Far Cry 3 is set on a tropical island, and Black Flag will see players cruising the Caribbean Sea, well…it’s not that much of a leap to see those kinds of possibilities.

Any thoughts on what you might like to find in Black Flag? Think there might be narrative connections to Ubisoft’s upcoming new franchise, Watch_Dogs? I could see that…a vigilante type dude who goes out and tries to right wrongs through violence and mayhem…sounds a lot like a modern-day Assassin’s Creed to me. Though, that game’s setting of Chicago might make a narrative connection difficult to insert.

[Via CVG]

The virtual reality revolution, also known as the Oculus Rift, has received its first round of investor funding today, totaling at just over $16 million from Spark Capital, Matrix Partners, Founders Fund and Formation 8, the Oculus team announced this morning.

This $16 million is in addition to the $2.4 million raised by the device’s Kickstarter campaign last September, a campaign that only asked for $250,000.

Spark Capital founder Santo Politi and Matrix general partner Antonio Rodriguez are now on the Oculus Rift’s board of directors.

“In this business, there are only a few rare companies that can so perfectly embody the future you read about in science fiction novels,” Rodriguez says in a press release.

“What Palmer, Brendan and the team are building at Oculus so closely matches the Metaverse, we had to be part of it. Working with them to get this platform to market at scale will be enormously exciting.”

Now… when can I buy the consumer version so I can play Portal 2 and Team Fortress 2 with it? I’m waaaaaiting.

[via Joystiq]

Remember Gears of War: Judgment? Well, that’s good: because there’s some new DLC called “Lost Relics” that’s available today for VIP members, while all the non-VIPs can get it on Tuesday, June 25.

So what kinds of things are in the new DLC? Maps! Lots of maps. There’s Checkout, which is “the carcass of an abandoned superstore.” So expect lots of bombed out shelves and aisles and places to hide in close quarters. There’s also “Lost City,” “Museum,” and “Ward,” all with their own variations on the “Lost Relics” theme. Epic Games was kind enough to provide video walkthroughs of each map, so be sure to check those out below.

And don’t forget, of course, to take a look at the new screenshots in the slideshow at the top of this post. The add-on content will cost 1,000 Microsoft Points, or $12.50 in United States currency. Interested?

[Via Epic Games]

In the continuing saga of reorganization at publisher Square Enix, it seems that they’ve laid off nearly half the staff working at Hitman studio IO Interactive. Not only has the staff been severely reduced, but the studios projects have all been shelved except for the next installment in the Hitman series. That means that if there was any future planned for the Kane & Lynch franchise, it’s now been put on hold indefinitely.

Here’s a statement Square Enix provided that explains the situation:

“We are making significant changes at IO Interactive as we align our business against a changing and challenging market. Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO. The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new AAA Hitman project. However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today’s market.

For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it’s possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so. We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers.”

It’s not completely terrible, as the statement also asks readers that might be “looking for additional development talent” to get in touch with them, presumably to help try and find new jobs for those who’ve been laid off. That said, well, laying off half your staff is still extremely terrible. So forget I said anything.

It’s not too surprising that IO will only focus on Hitman going forward, even if Hitman Absolution didn’t quite live up to expectations. That franchise is more recognizable than any of their others, not to mention the fact that it had a movie from a few years ago. That doesn’t mean it’s actually any more deserving to get attention, but there it is.

Our sympathies go out to everyone affected by the layoffs.

[Via GameInformer]