GameStop employees have revealed a new display blueprint that strongly suggest we’ll see the announcement of the next Call of Duty tomorrow. Black Ops 2 was also revealed on May 1st during the NBA playoffs, so the precedent makes sense. A recent “leak” of the (presumed) cover art indicates it may be subtitled Ghosts instead of the expected Modern Warfare 4, hinting at a possible origin story. Other “leaked” details indicate the title will be built on an entirely new “next generation” engine. Does this mean it’s just a new engine, or should we expect to see this on next-gen systems?
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery has been announced for the PlayStation Vita. The episodic adventure game will follow Jacob through his misadventures in summer camp with his Sasquatchian friend, Biggie. It’s being developed by Lucid Games, staffed mainly by Bizarre Creations (Blur, Project Gotham Racing) veterans. No word yet on a release date. If it’s PSN only I’d expect it very soon; if it’s retail it could still be a ways out.
The first DLC character included in the Season Pass ($15) for Injustice: Gods Among Us is coming next week. The previously revealed Lobo is on the way, possibly with a Flashpoint costume for Batman as well. No other DLC has been confirmed yet, but rumors are rolling so stay tuned.
Techland has revealed the official title of the “Project Hell” that was announced last August. Hellraid is a first-person, co-op hack and slasher for up to four players. You, and three of your friends, will be facing off against demons and other Hell-dwellers in story-driven battles. It will have all of the standard elements of a good dungeon crawler: loot, questing, weapon crafting, customizing armor, character upgrades, magic, boss fights, etc. Replayability comes from randomly generated online challenges via the “Game Master system,” which also places loot and enemies in different locations for each play. No solid release date, but it is coming later this year.
Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs has been given the official release date of November 19, 2013. Before I get into the rest of the details from the announcement, allow me to point out that this game is definitely coming for PlayStation 4, and likely the next XBox, which does not currently have a release date but is slated for 2013. Is this confirmation that next-gen will be here by that date? Seems likely. Along with the date, a few special editions were revealed, as well as confirmation that Sony platforms will have an extra 60 minutes of gameplay. The premier version will be the DEDSEC Edition: Aiden Pearce (main character) figurine, collector packaging, art book, soundtrack, four AR cards, three badges, a map of the game’s Chicago, and three single player missions (Palace Pack, Breakthrough, and Signature Shot; approximately 60 minutes total). The Vigilante Edition includes Aiden’s Cap and Mask, soundtrack, and the Palace Pack mission. The Uplay Exclusive Edition comes with a steelbook and all three extra missions. Finally, the Special Edition (which looks like a free preorder upgrade) comes with the Breakthrough Pack mission.
How much do you love Grand Theft Auto? Do you want to be a cult member in Grand Theft Auto V? If so, check out the Epsilon Program’s website and click on Join Now. The Epsilon Program is Rockstar’s humorous take on Scientology and five lucky fans will be featured as member characters of this deluded cult. You’ll need a link to your photo for identification when you arrive in Los Santos. Kifflom!
That’s it for this week’s early edition. In case you missed any of our other gaming stories from the week, be sure to check them out now:
Great screen shots from Batman: Arkham Origins
Bioshock Infinite DLC rumors
And an invitation to BSR!’s new Steam group