Art from Sucker Punch Productions' inFamous.
Games news digest Aug 2 2011
- by Robert Sutherland (follow @Sutherland604)
● The “who owns who/who develops games for who” landscape of the video game industry got a bit more cluttered this past week as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) bought developer Sucker Punch Productions. The studio has had success recently making PS-exclusive titles inFamous and the Sly Cooper Series. The Bellevue, WA-based studio launched inFamous 2 earlier this summer and sales and reviews have been great thus far. With the announcement of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time being announced at E3 this year it appears the future is bright at Sucker Punch. It can be expected that the company will be solely making PS exclusive games from now on since Sony is paying the bills now.
● First look at NHL:12 (with Steven Stamkos as the cover boy) was released recently. Somehow this series manages to get me excited each year and I end up buying it in the first month. It looks as though the main off-season focus at EA Sports was once again to continue to build on the NHL Be A Pro mode. Now you can play four seasons in the CHL, get drafted into the NHL, work your way through the ranks in the AHL then make the jump to the NHL. This game is getting so realistic in creating the process a player goes through to become an NHL star. Do you get to pit-stop at The Roxy during Vancouver road trips?
Watch – NHL: 12 (trailer)
● EA Sports launches “Season Pass”. This premium-services package launched this week and offers a few exclusive perks for Season Pass holders. With the cost of $24.99 or 2000MSP per year you get:
○ Early Full Game Access
■ Downloadable version of the game is available before the full release but expires once the game is released. Kinda acts like a premium game demo
○ Up to 20% discount on EA Sports DLC
■ 20% off the upgrade skates sound like an easy way to make your created player a bit better a bit faster
○ Premium and exclusive web content for each title
■ Early reports sound like this is interactive content that is access in-game then redirected to the console browser
○ Membership recognition
■ An exclusive badge will appear on all game profiles. Bragging rights.
● True Crime: Hong Kong finds a new publisher. Earlier this year Vancouver-based studio United Front Games suffered some layoffs when their nearly finished (and sweet-looking) open world title True Crime: Hong Kong was canned by Activision. It has been reported that Square Enix has stepped in and picked up the project. No word yet on release date plans.
United Front Games' True Crime: Hong Kong has found a new home.
● Did you know that there was a Tekken movie released this year? Me either. This straight to DVD film adaptation of the beloved fighting series went straight to the bargain bin at local movie retailers with little to no marketing behind it. Aside from some sweet fight sequences coordinated by Chuck Norris’ son Eric, the movie quickly moves into the “forgettable” section of the video game -> film genre.
● Supremacy MMA has new trailer and like the initial teaser trailer it is cringe inducing. Arcade fighting + MMA = me spending $70
Watch – Supremacy MMA (trailer):
