It’s that time of week again when we take a fond look back at the top five news stories from the week. Sorry for the delay in getting this out this week, I had a very rough week. Welcome to the Weekly Wrap-Up. Below is a brief summary, but for the full stories simply click on the hyperlink. Let us know if you agree with our top five. If you have suggestions for future Weekly Wrap-Ups, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com.
Enjoy!
Number 5
Game Reveals Monster Hunter 3 “Double Pack” for UK Wii U & 3DS Gamers
As soon as Capcom revealed that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate would link between both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS we heard our wallets weep. How are you ever supposed to decide which version you should buy? Do you go with the home console experience? Superior graphics, booming sounds and stretch the experience across your living room television? Or do you go with the handheld experience? Portability, Bragging rights and eye-popping 3D graphics? It’s a hard decision… Or why don’t you just have both? Although the saving isn’t… great… Game have revealed that there will be a “Monster Hunter 3 Double Pack” which includes a copy of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. It is currently unknown if this is a Game exclusive or if other retailers will be putting together a “Double Pack” themselves and, hopefully, challenging the price which Game have set.
Number 4
Grand Theft Auto V Delayed Until September 17th
Originally set to come out sometime this Spring, Grand Theft Auto V has now been pushed back until the Fall; specifically September 17th, Rockstar has announced. The time between the title’s original launch window and its new date is to be used for extra polish. On Rockstar’s own website, the developer revealed the news, then later went on to apologize for the delay:
“We know this is about four months later than originally planned and we know that this short delay will come as a disappointment to many of you, but, trust us, it will be worth the extra time. GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require.”
“To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to help ensure it will meet if not exceed your expectations come September – we thank you for your support and patience.”
Number 3
Sony Teases a February 20th Reveal, Could it be Next-Gen Related?
Yeah, this seems like a good way to send off January. Sony has uploaded a short, 0:45 second teaser video that pans and whizzes over the Square, Triangle, Circle and X buttons that can be found on any of the company’s systems. The video ends with a simple date: February 20th. There’s also this website, which shows that the reveal is set to start at 6pm ET.
Number 2
Crytek Makes a New Studio in Austin, Contains Former Vigil Employees
It came as a bit of a shock that Vigil, the developer behind Darksiders, didn’t get a single bid at THQ’s auction for its assets. The publisher had hoped to find a suitable buyer for the developer/IP, but it seems as though things didn’t work out. Fortunately, at least for the core team from Vigil, Crytek formed a new studio in Austin, Texas, complete with Vigil’s former General Manager & Co-Owner, David Adams and other members from the team.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the newest Crytek studio, which will boast some of the brightest development talent in the industry, said Adams. “The studio’s launch represents Crytek’s commitment to delivering diverse and high quality content to players everywhere.”
Number 1
Chief Designer Leaves Zynga In Yet Another Blow For The Company
Zynga hasn’t had a lot going for it recently, with many claiming that it is merely re-skinning existing games and not innovating the market place. As well as this, shares have been consistently low since the company went public and now, on top of all of this, chief game designer Brain Reynolds has left the company after being with them for nearly four years and developing the social game we all know and ‘love’ (well maybe ‘loved’) FarmVille. Whilst it is not clear why or where Brian Reynolds will be going to in the near future we wish him all the best for the future of his career and can only hope that he and a future team work together to bring us something as addicting as what FarmVille, CityVille and other Zynga titles were
Honorable Mentions
This week had a lot of big news and the news staff and I found it hard to narrow it down to the usual five stories. Here are some of the articles for the honorable mention section. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Developer Laying Off Staff, GameStop Rewards Members Can Get Early Access to Gears of War: Judgment Demo, Junction Point, the Studio Behind Epic Mickey, Has Been Shut Down, The Dreamcast Refuses to Die as Redux: Dark Matters is Due 2013
If you missed out on the big news items this week, you can check out our weekly podcast and get an audio update of this week’s madness from our podcasting team. Listen to us as we talk about some things seriously and a few other things not so much. We guarantee this episode will make you shake your fist at times and nod your head at others. And finally, check out The Interview with Q, hosted by Matthew Quinlan.
