After a little absence, we’re back with the Top 5 Stories of the Week. We have some great stories for you below. Below are articles about one of the largest updates to hit the PS4, Xbox One bundles, and games being ported to current gen consoles. As always, for the full article, simple click on the hyperlink. Get in, sit down and hold on because here we go!
Number 5
The Order: 1886 Packs a Punch and Has a Zeppelin
The Game Awards may have given us our latest glimpse at 2015’s mustachioed gentlemen (and woman) of The Order: 1886, but Sony’s The Playstation Experience lent fans a deeper look at just how hard of a punch these steam punks pack.
Fighting in the kitchen of an airship, Sir Galahad and his forces battle rebel forces to and fro with a good deal of rather nasty gunplay and smart use of conveniently placed cookery. Context sensitive melee combat seems to be the aim of the game, including attacks that use the environment much like Nathan Drake’s refined combat prowess.
Number 4
You Won’t Be Playing The Witcher 3 ‘Til Late Spring
Geralt just can’t seem to get back in the saddle and neither can The Witcher 3, it seems. Originally delayed from this year to next, The Witcher 3‘s latest delay moves it from March to May and the Wild Hunt a few months more away from our grasp.
In a statement from the board of CD Projekt on the Witcher’s official website, claiming that “the sheer size and complexity of The Witcher,” had an impact on the extension of its development cycle. Continuing further, the studio elaborates that:
Now, nearing the end of our work, we see many details that need to be corrected. When we release the most important game in our studio’s history, we must be absolutely sure that we did everything we could to limit any bugs to a level that will allow you to enjoy the game thoroughly.
The note concludes with an apology to fans and a request for trust. “We set the release date too hastily,” CD Projekt says.” It’s a hard lesson, one to take to heart for the future. We know what we want to do to make Wild Hunt one of the best RPGs you will ever play. And we continue to work hard to achieve just that.”
Number 3
Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remastered Summons a PS4 Release
The Playstation 4 just loves its Final Fantasies. The console is already getting another glorified port of Final Fantasy VII this coming year and now Square Enix’s officially announced that the Playstation 3’s HD remasters of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 are moseying on over to the PS4 too.
You can pick up the two remasters at retail or on the PSN for $49.99 this spring while Final Fantasy VII will set you back $15.99 as a download only. Square Enix has said that both ports will include system-exclusive features, but what they are we still don’t know.
We thought that the edition’s fresh coat of paint on Playstation 3 was “the absolute best way to experience Final Fantasy X” if not a convenient way to also play Final Fantasy X-2.
Number 2
DrinkBox Studios to release Severed exclusively on PlayStation Vita
Over the weekend at the PlayStation Experience Keynote, Drinkbox Studios were able to reveal Severed for the first time. Today, the Toronto-based team at Drinkbox confirmed that their upcoming touch based game will be an exclusive to the PlayStation Vita.
Severed is a strange world which is filled with “ghastly enemies, including three-headed constellations, six-armed swordmasters and beasts made of crows”. Using touch controls, players will take control of a one-armed female character. The heroine uses a living sword as her preferred choice of weapon, which helps her regain pieces of her past and future.
As players set out into combat, they’ll be engaging their foes in first-person view and using a touch based combat system. Along the way, while unlocking secrets of this mysterious world, players will have the chance to earn new abilities as well offensive and defensive strategies.
“DrinkBox has a strong relationship working with Sony and we felt Severed’s combat and exploration mechanics were a perfect match for the Vita,” said Graham Smith, Co-Founder of DrinkBox Studios. “We hope Vita gamers will fall in love exploring Severed’s uncanny world through our gameplay just like they have with our previous games.”
Number 1
Microsoft Will Publish Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of Crystal Dynamics’ Rise of the Tomb Raider will be published by Microsoft. While the game will eventually come to other platforms, it will be an Xbox exclusive when it launches during the holiday period in 2015. Marketing manager Aaaron Greenburg confirmed the news on Twitter.
Square Enix has since released a statement about the situation which reads:
“Microsoft has always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and they will get behind this game with more support across development, marketing and retail than ever before, which we believe will be a step in continuing to build the Tomb Raider franchise as one of the biggest in gaming.”
Sony retaliated to this announcement last week when it revealed that Street Fighter V will be coming to PS4 but not to Xbox One
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:
- Yakuza 5 Comes Westward for PS3 Next Year
- Captain Toad (and Toadette) Ready for Adventure… 70 Levels of it!
If you have suggestions for future entries, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com
