E3 2012

It’s E3 time again.. the first day starting off with conferences from Microsoft and Sony.  I’ve been waiting for more info on a few games, but E3 is usually good for info on new games too..

Microsoft showed footage from 360-exclusive Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, due for release in November, Resident Evil 6, due in October, and Tomb Raider, Spring 2013.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc1GaGFEJrc] (more…)

Various Gaming News

Indie Royale’s The Spring Bundle has been released, featuring six indie games: Futuremark‘s tower defence variant Unstoppable Gorg, Soldak Entertainment‘s action RPG Depths of Peril, Secret Base‘s platformer Tobe’s Vertical Adventure, all available on Steam, and three downloadable games from Radiangames: twin-stick RPG Inferno+, puzzler Slydris, and a twin-stick arcade shooter, Ballistic.  The bundle is available on a pay what you want scheme with a minimum price currently just under £3, but those who pay at least $5 or £3.15 will also receive Danimal Cannon’s chiptune music album Roots!

THQ have announced that Darksiders 2 is to be delayed, apparently at the request of Vigil, and will now not launch on July 29th in the UK.  This is good news, as it means the developers will be able to properly polish the game.  THQ have had a boost from the sales of Saints Row: The Third, which has sold over 4 million copies and brought in more revenue for the company than expected. (more…)

In The Grim Dark Future, There Is Only Single-Player

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium is now only going to be a single-player game, thanks to layoffs at Relic and Vigil.

MMOs are expensive to make, so changing the game to a single-player saves them a considerable amount of money.. but what a disappointment.

In the News – 1st March

The release date for Irrational Games’ BioShock Infinite has been revealed: October 16th in the US, and on October 19th internationally, for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  The game will also support the PlayStation Move motion controller, with more details to follow later.. though Eurogamer spotted a “special” BioShock Infinite peripheral on Sony’s website back in November.

Mojang have released Minecraft 1.2 today, adding a slew of new features including new blocks and items, a new jungle biome and a map height limit of 256.  On the creature front, ocelots become cats when tamed, and tamed wolves can now have puppies! (more…)

THQ Japan Shutting Down

THQ Japan is shutting down on February 29th, with all staff leaving the company.  This is said to be due to the recent financial problems of the parent US company.  Via VG247.

This closure was rumoured a fortnight ago, when THQ made employees in their Australian office redundant.  These offices were said to be involved in distribution, rather than game development.

THQ have just announced a release date and pre-order details for Darksiders II, and the latest installation in their MMA franchise, UFC Undisputed 3, releases on Friday in the UK for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Darksiders II – Release Date Announced

THQ have announced that Vigil‘s action-adventure Darksiders II will be released for the PS3, 360 and PC on the 29th June 2012.

Exclusive pre-order bonuses have been announced too: the ‘Death Rides’ pack from GAME contains extra side-quests, the ‘Deadly Despair’ pack is available via Amazon and adds a speed boost for Death’s steed, Despair, and the  ‘Angel of Death’ pack will provide enhanced armour and weapons.. the shop this preorder will be available through has not yet been announced.

THQ Problems Continue, Metro Delayed

Rumours have been circulating for a while now in regards to THQ’s financial situation and the position of their future titles.  While THQ eventually denied the rumours that they were to cancel their 2014 line-up, their financial situation has not improved; their share value remains under the $1 mark which means they are at risk of NASDAQ delisting, more job losses have been reported, and recently published figures show $55.9 million in losses in the last quarter.

The latest release schedule shows that Metro: Last Light has been pushed back to early 2013, from a summer 2012 release.  The reason for this delay is said to be so developer 4A Games can polish the game before release, but we’ll be hearing more closer to E3.

As for Vigil Games‘ 40k MMO Dark Millennium Online: while the game is still on for a 2014 release, Brian Farrell confirmed during the investor call on Feb 2nd that THQ is looking for a partner to help complete the title (via Eurogamer).

Darksiders Novel Announced

THQ and Random House Publishing Group have announced today that a Darksiders novel is to be published in May.

Darksiders: The Abomination Vault, by Ari Marmell, takes place millennia before the events of the games.. featuring the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and a plot to resurrect ancient weapons of unimaginable power.

UFC Undisputed 3 Demo

THQ have released a demo for UFC Undisputed 3, downloadable on PSN and Xbox Live now for the US, and tomorrow for the UK and everyone else.  The game itself is due out in the UK on February 17th, on both PS3 and 360.

The demo allows players to fight in a UFC matchup between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and middleweight champion Anderson Silva, or take part in a PRIDE match between Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Wanderlei Silva.  Players can also try out a mirror match, against friends or AI, where both play as the same fighter!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EGJgeFE8XI]

Space Marine gets Dreadnoughts!

THQ have announced that The Dreadnought DLC for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is due for release this week!

The Dreadnought DLC is the second premium content pack for Space Marine, consisting of a new multiplayer mode called Dreadnought Assault, three new multiplayer maps; Desolation, Dome Mechanicus and Chem Refinery, two new player skin packs: Iron Hands and Death Guard, and the usual extra achievements and trophies.  Dreadnought Assault is a team versus mode, where teams must control a capture point to be awarded with a Dreadnought, which one player can control to help score points for their team.. until the Dreadnought is destroyed and another spawn point appears.

As well as the premium DLC, all players will receive free content: the new multiplayer Capture and Control mode, where players will be challenged to capture and defend different locations around the map.

Space Marine’s previous DLC releases have included the premium Chaos Unleashed map pack, released in December 2011, and the free Exterminatus mode, released for PC and PS3 at the end of October, and for the Xbox 360 at the beginning of November.

In Exterminatus, players co-operatively battle through two scenarios; Assault on Hab Center Andreas, and Escape From Kalkys Facility, facing waves of enemies in each arena with extra in-game challenges providing extra lives or points.  Chaos Unleashed allowed players to take on the role of Chaos Space Marines in the previously Space Marine-only Exterminatus mode, as well as adding three more multiplayer maps: Habs Ablaze, Station Tertius and Aquila Caonyon, and a new Capture the Flag game mode.