Weekly Video Game News – 12/09/2011
By Patrick Newman
Skyrim – Most Played Game
Raptr, a tracking service focused completely on gaming, has given its award of “most played” (based on tracking the ‘play time’ data for both PC and Xbox 360 users) to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The fantasy RPG won its victory by a narrow margin against contemporaries Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Batman: Arkham City. According to the service, Skyrim players average 3 hours of gameplay a day, more than any other game in the service’s history.
More DC Comics Games in the Works
Several new games based on DC Comics properties are in the works at Warner Brothers Montreal, with the recent success Batman: Arkham City as a template. As printed in a recent interview with Canadian Business, Warner studio head Martin Carrier said, “They changed people’s perceptions and that’s why we’re not satisfied anymore with sub-par superhero games. Now, it’s like they should be better than all the other games. So what’s their secret recipe?” Concrete details about the games in production are still being kept under wraps, but with this announcement, they likely won’t be kept that way much longer.
Dead Island “Bloodbath Arena” Trailer
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Samurai & Dragons News
Producer Masayoshi Kikuchi, of Yakuza and Jet Set Radio Future fame, is now at work on Samurai & Dragons for the PlayStation Vita. Planned as a hybridization of the action and RTS genres, Samurai & Dragons can be played by up to 4 players to conduct both a dungeon siege on the ground, and a full-scale war on the sidelines. The game has not yet gotten a release date.
Dead Rising going to the Beach?
The official Dead Rising Facebook page, which has seen relatively low activity levels in its lull between sequels, recently posted a tease that Dead Rising 3 might be on the way. “I’m getting packing for my new adventure,” the caption reads, “– Camera, notebook and baseball bat. What else would I need for a break in paradise? – Frank” The posting leaves all kinds of room for interpretation, the most notable being his mention of “paradise,” implying that the new Dead Rising might see a change in locale.
Sonic Generations – 3DS Launch Trailer
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Re-mastered Oddworld this Month!
A re-mastered version of the 2005 Xbox shooter Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is due on the PSN December 27th. For only $15, gamers can experience the strange landscapes of Oddworld with higher-resolution textures, visually updated environments, tweaked audio and new difficulty modes. Support for both the PlayStation Move and Stereoscopic 3D are planned additions that will land sometime after the initial release date.
Another Last Guardian Moves On
In a development that hopefully won’t become a recurrence these next few months, The Last Guardian executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama has left the project to pursue other interests. This comes after last week’s announcement that development guru Fumito Ueda has also left the project, putting its future in a place of supreme uncertainty. Following his departure, Hayama was confirmed as the new creative director at Bossa Studios, as listed on the official website.
Resistance 3 “Brutality Pack” Trailer
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The Amazing Spider-Man Update
The game tie-in to Sony Pictures’ upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man will apparently encompass narrative events that occur immediately after the ending of the movie. Activision recently confirmed those story parameters, as well as describing the game as definitively open-world, with a “variety of criminals” to play against. Both the game and the movie are planned for release sometime in Summer 2012, with Spider-Man veterans Beenox taking the developer’s helm.
Showtime in March ‘12
The Sims 3: Showtime has been set for release in March 2012. This latest expansion pack will allow players to rise to fame, American Idol-style, as an acrobat, magician, or DJ. Using the SimPort feature, players can also access Showtime’s social elements, which will enable them to perform and earn achievements within friends’ Sim worlds.
Nitronic Rush – Release Announcement Trailer
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