Video Game Quick Hits 10/5/12

Assassin’s Creed III and its Vita counterpart, Liberation, are on the way at the end of this month. As revealed this week on the PlayStation Store, there will be at least $30 worth of downloadable content for the game. Three separate packages were listed on PSN. The standalone PS3 version is available for preorder at the regular $59.99. Also available is the Gold Edition ($89.99), which includes the Season Pass for DLC. The third option includes the Gold Edition and Liberation $119.99. The Season Pass is reportedly a 25% discount versus buying whatever’s included separately, and gets you access to the first add-on one week early. Ubisoft has said they plan five DLC packages, four multiplayer add-ons and a single player story pack, “The Tyranny of King Washington.” This will let you play an alternate history sequence of events that could have occurred if Washington had succumbed to the power of leadership and become our nation’s first king. If you want the Gold Edition and Liberation, you’re insane not to buy it this way. PSN is also running the promotion to give you $20 in PSN credit if you spend $100 or more this month. Easy math: ACIII+Season Pass+Liberation=$60+30+40=$130. The bundle is $120, saving you $10 instantly, plus another $20 next month. Effective price=$100. Total savings=$30. Yeah, that’s practically a free copy of a retail Vita game anyway. In case you’ve forgotten, both games release October 30th.

Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider reboot has an Amazon-exclusive special edition on the way. The “Final Hours Edition” gas no extra cost, and comes automatically when you preorder through Wonder Woman’s online store. This version includes a 32 page art book, an in-game skin for Lara, and “The Final Hours of Tomb Raider: Director’s Cut” for the Kindle Fire. The documentary has already been released in two parts elsewhere. This seems more like an “Expanded but Not Very Special” edition. The developer has promised other preorder incentives will also be forthcoming. You may want to wait for a more attractive deal. The game is available March 5, 2013.

Hot on the heels of Muzyka and Zeschuk’s departure from Bioware comes the news of Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski leaving Epic Games after 20 years. Plans for his future haven’t been announced, nor has Epic made any mention of how his design director will be filled. CliffyB has been a luminary in the business for two decades and was integral to the evolution. But, all things change, and it will be interesting to see how the industry evolves without him – or with him in a different role. In a goodbye on their Cliff had this to say:

“I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop. I literally grew up in this business, as Mike [Capps] likes to say. And now that I’m grown up, it’s time for a much needed break.

I will miss the projects, the playtests, the debates, and most importantly, the people. Epic only hires the best of the best, and it has been a joy working with each and every one of you on a daily basis, whether you were hired weeks ago or decades ago. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with a variety of disciplines, from code to art to marketing and PR – it’s been one big, rewarding learning experience. I’m confident that each project that is being built, whether at Epic, Chair, PCF, or Impossible will be top notch and will please gamers and critics alike.”

We know that Omega is on its way, so it’s not a secret that Bioware isn’t finished with Mass Effect 3. But it’s been recently announced that another huge chunk of multiplayer DLC is also on its way. “Retaliation” brings back Mass Effect 2‘s lead villains, the Collectors. This will be the biggest multiplayer add-on yet, with six new maps, sixteen characters, and more. New gear will include the Collector’s assault rifle and other equippable items. A new Challenge feature will be incorporated which rewards completing objectives with “challenge points” you can spend on banners and titles (bragging rights). “Hazards” like sandstorms and acid baths will also make their way into the existing maps, just to make your battles a little more taxing. And, like the multiplayer DLC before it, it’s free!

If you haven’t already seen it, check out the ultimate in gag (literally) marketing for Resident Evil 6. I actually kind of wish this were somewhere near me.