Somewhat of a slow week as it pertains to the world of video game news. Unless, you want to reignite interest in the adventure gaming genre. There's also the loss over everyone’s Gamerscores and the panic that followed... Okay, I take back what I just said about it being a slow week.
And that doesn't even include an additional $110,000 from off the record backers. Anyhow, the historic crowd-sourced fund raising initiative is officially done and over with, and Tim Schafer’s war chest is well beyond what he and his team had initially hoped for.
Not surprisingly, plenty game makers are now turning towards Kickstarter to jump-start their own games. And the makers of Wasteland 2, for example, are doing quite well for themselves. It took no time at all for them to reach their $900,000 goal. It's currently past the one million dollar point. It's hard to anticipate every such effort being so successful, but there's a good chance that Double Fine's achievement might not be such a fluke after all.
People Are Still Pissed About Mass Effect 3
The thing everyone is bitching about this week is how the ending sucks. There are apparently three possible conclusions, and each one is a total downer. Not only that, but critics say it feels like nothing you do in the game has any real bearing on the outcome. As a result, a grassroots movement has gone into effect, demanding that BioWare fix the problem - perhaps in the form of a DLC.
In response, the game's creative lead has explained that why they respect the opinion of the their fan base, the ending was chosen to make sure that it wasn't "forgettable". Reps are claiming that its rather vague ending was intended to be open for interpretation, as well as further content later down the road. Those disgruntled folks may get what they want after-all.
Jet Set Radio HD Reminds Us About the Downside of Re-releases
Many diehard SEGA fans were elated to hear that their beloved Dreamcast classic, Jet Set Radio was going to be given a HD makeover and released via XBLA and PSN. Many were bracing for bad news, and they got it: the soundtrack has indeed been gimped.
Of the 30 or so songs that were included in the original release, over half have been left behind due to licensing issues. Given how the audio was such a major part of the experience, this is a real bummer, but it's not like SEGA didn't try. And at least today's systems support custom soundtracks.
Fans of the cult comic turned basic cable sensation will be happy to know that it's being turned into a video game. Naturally. Two actually. The first is from Telltale Games and is headed to XBLA, PSN, Windows, OS X, and iOS. Much like their Back to the Future and Jurassic Park titles, it will be episodic in nature. Hopefully it won't suck like those two games either.
Meanwhile, there's another one coming out for Facebook by someone else. It's a social game, which involves setting up camp and foraging for resources while under zombie attack. The fact that we actually have info as to what this new game will be automatically ups the chance of it being better than Telltale's offerings.
XBLA Gamerscores Bottoming Out Causes Panic
Gamers who like to start the day with a quick online scuffle in Modern Warfare 3 before school, work, or whatever were horrified to discover that their precious Gamerscores had been reset to zero.
But within a few hours, MS had fixed the problem (perhaps in part to how people were legitimately having heart attacks over the matter). Yet as the days have passed, there have been less and less complaints about the matter.
Microsoft Kills New Xbox Rumors
MS has once again reiterated that there will not be a successor to the Xbox 360 unveiled at this year's E3 and that 2012 is all about their current platform.
This might be in reaction to latest rumors regarding the notion that their next system will have no disc drive and be a completely digital download only platform. Some might be inclined to go "but that proves that MS is going to have something!" Though it really does feel like they're being honest. Given the lack of any real PS4 news as of late, it really does seem like we'll be playing with our current systems for a while longer. Thank goodness.
The final Blizzard franchise to be without a modern update is finally getting one. Diablo 3 will finally be coming out on May 15th across the globe. No matter where you are on the planet, you will be able to get a copy that day, either physically or digitally.
Blizzard was also quick to reiterate their previous plan to give the game away for free, provided one sign's up for a year long pass to World of Warcraft. Their MMO is not as hot as it used to be, so this is either a brilliant marketing move or a sign of desperation. Actually, it's both.
