It’s the weekend, which means two things: 1) Everyone gets some gaming time (I hope) and 2) another Weekly Wrap-Up is coming your way. Below, you’ll find brief summaries of our top 5 stories from this week, as well as a few stories that were interesting, but weren’t quite that big to make the cut. As always, if you want to read the full story, simply click on the link hidden in the titles. If you have suggestions for future entries, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com. Here we go.
Number 5
Fez Coming to PS Vita, PS3, PS4
Initially released in April 2012, Fez is being released on PS Vita, PS3, and PS4 on March 25. Sony’s US Blog in 2013 describes the game:
“[Fez is] a 2D platformer set in a 3D world. You play as Gomez, a charismatic and fluffy little white guy who wears a Fez. When the existence of a mysterious 3rd dimension is revealed to him, Gomez is sent out on a journey that takes him to the very end of time and space.
There are no enemies in Fez. No bosses, no combat; in fact, no conflict of any kind. It aims to create a non-threatening world rich with ambiance, a pleasant place to spend time in. And of course, with plenty of treasures to find and secrets to uncover.”
Number 4
Batman: Arkham Knight Officially Announced!
Batman: Arkham Knight, being produced by the one and only Rocksteady, is coming out later this year!! Headed towards the PS4, Xbox One and PC, the title will not feature a multiplayer mode (which was included in its predecessor, Arkham Origins). Kevin Conroy will be returning to voice Batman and players will be able to take to the streets of Gotham City in style, driving the Batmobile!
Rocksteady, who received Warner Bros.’ support to not include the multiplayer, have remarked that Gotham City in this title will be substantially bigger compared to previous titles to accommodate Batman’s ridiculously cool car. Villains to be featured include (according to the trailer) Harley Quinn, Two-Face, and Penguin. Players who pre-order will be able to access the playable version of Harley.
Number 3
Watch Dogs Release Date Finally Set for May 27th
Watch Dogs was a game that caught many people off guard when it was shown off at last years E3. Everyone thought that it was going to be the definitive next gen launch title. The new bar that all next gen games would be judged by. Then we got delays which ended up pushing the game back past the next gen consoles launch window. It was then pushed to early 2014 but when that beginning of that year came around we were given another delay notice by the Watch Dogs development team.
Eventually we started hearing rumors that Ubisoft had cancelled Watch Dogs and that the game was never going to see the light of day. Fortunately rumors of that are now dashed and Watch Dogs enthusiasts such as myself finally have a solid date to which we can put the game down on our calendar for launch day.
Number 2
Titanfall Season Pass Has Been Detailed
Looks like rumors about a kind of season pass for Titanfall are true as Respawn has officially announced a Season Pass for Titanfall. The confirmation comes from Titanfall’s Official Blog that confirms that Titanfall will have a season pass as well as a Digital Deluxe version on EA’s Origin platform which will cost 79.99 but will include the full game and the season pass for $10 savings rather than purchasing the game and the season pass separately.
The season pass for Xbox 360 and Xbox One users will cost $25 which will net you $5 savings if you got all 3 DLCs separately. Respawn has also noted that 360 users cannot purchase the season pass for 360 and expect it to be transferred to your Xbox One as this season pass will not transfer over.
The Digital Deluxe Edition does look like an interesting way to get people to buy the game through Origin but I have a feeling a lot of people would rather purchase it through Steam than Origin since Origin has so many problems already with installing and downloading games. I guess we will see if this move works to get more PC users to purchase it on Origin.
Number 1
Say Goodbye to SCEA CEO Jack Tretton
Jack Tretton has announced that starting from March 31 he will step down from his current position of President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. The news has come as quite a shock as Sony’s PlayStation division is one of the few areas of Sony that is currently successful. Gamers will recognise Tretton as the face of Sony’s E3 conferences since 2007, and from his interactions with fake Sony employee Kevin Butler. He has been at PlayStation since the launch of the original PS1, and was promoted to the position of CEO in 2006. He announced that he was leaving in a farewell letter posted to the Playstation Blog.
”It is with mixed feelings that I inform you that I will be stepping down as President and CEO of SCEA effective March 31, 2014. This is a result of a mutual agreement with SCEA, and I leave knowing that the PlayStation brand has never been stronger, PlayStation 4 momentum continues to accelerate, and the future will only get brighter for our gamers.
Serving PlayStation fans for the past 19 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. Your passion for gaming inspired me every day.
I want to thank you for constantly pushing PlayStation to deliver breakthrough gaming and entertainment experiences, and to never settle for “good enough.” The embodiment of this commitment can be found in the PS4, which has quickly become the #1 next-gen console worldwide…thanks to you.
We’ve shared many memories over the past two decades and I’ll always be grateful for your support.”
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:
- Guacamelee Going Multi-Platform
- Criterion Games Founders Open New Studio
- Screen Gems Set To Distribute The Last of Us Movie
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.
