The next entry in the always fantastic series of LEGO video games looks to be LEGO The Hobbit. TT Games has confirmed the upcoming game, possibly in response to a leaked, French image from promotional art on physical LEGO playsets coming next year. The second film for the series opens next month and the third will be coming December 2014. The game is scheduled for Spring 2014, meaning it will only focus on the first two films. Confirmed characters include Bilbo baggins, Gandalf, Thorin and his dwarves, etc. You can also expect to see Bag End, The Misty Mountains, and more.
Fun news for MGS fans, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions is coming to PlayStation Network today. This was a stand alone release in North America but was intended as expanded content. If MGS had originally released on a modern console, this likely would have been DLC. The game includes 300+ stealth and combat training missions.
On a related note, Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes has been confirmed to have exclusive content on both PS4 AND XBox One. The PS4 content was confirmed early last week, while the XB1 stuff was just announced Friday. It’s a safe assumption the content will be different on the two platforms, hence the term “exclusive.”
“John Carmack, who has become interested in focusing on things other than game development at id, has resigned from the studio. John’s work on id Tech 5 and the technology for the current development work at id is complete, and his departure will not affect any current projects.
We are fortunate to have a brilliant group of programmers at id who worked with John and will carry on id’s tradition of making great games with cutting-edge technology. As colleagues of John for many years, we wish him well.”
This all comes from id’s studio director, Tim Willits. Carmack is a legend in the gaming industry. While he has left id, the company he founded in 1991 with John Romero, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack, he has not left the industry. On the contrary, he is still looking at the future of gaming with his role CTO at Oculus VR. The Oculus Rift is of growing interest to the gaming community and is likely one of the next baby steps toward a fully-immersive gaming environment (read: Holodeck).
Take Two has renewed a trademark in Europe for the Bully logo and name. If you’re unfamiliar with Bully… that’s just a shame. Rockstar may have cut their teeth on Grand Theft Auto and created one of the best games of the past generation with Red Dead Redemption, but Bully is not to be ignored. Fans of the original game have been wanting a sequel since they first terrorized Bullworth Academy with a slingshot. This trademark renewal doesn’t mean a sequel is necessarily coming, but we can hope. This could be a re-release of the original game on current systems, an HD remake, a mobile app, or that sequel we want. There have been other indications that Rockstar is working on a new installment of a well known franchise, which most have assumed is Red Dead Redemption. Maybe that assumption was hasty?
With XBox One‘s Friday launch, Microsoft is now in the cross-hairs for faulty systems. Sony had their own issues in week one, now it’s Microsoft’s turn. The most vocal complaint so far has been disc drive issues. Some customers have seen immediate issues when inserting a disc into the drive. The system will make some unusual grinding sounds and not register the disc. No fix is currently available, and I wouldn’t expect one considering it’s likely a hardware problem. However, Microsoft has confirmed their commitment to resolving issues for customers, and offered a nice bonus in the meantime. Use the normal support pages and @XboxSupport for help. You can also say “Xbox Help” which will summon Super-Kinect to rescue you. You won’t need to stop gaming while you’re waiting for your replacement console though. Microsoft is offering a free digital download of Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, and Zoo Tycoon (your choice) to anyone affected by the disc drive problem.
Mark your calendar for December 1st (if I did my math right). That’s the date we’ll see nuclear winter start according a teaser site from Zenimax. Thesurvivor2299.com is widely believed to be setting up an announcement of a new entry in the Fallout series. The Morse Code playing seems to be confirming the countdown clock, indicating an announcement at the VGAs. Could this be the Fallout MMO that has long been rumored? Is it Fallout 4 on next-gen? Will Bethesda make a game that does more than barely function on a Sony console? This might actually give me a reason to watch the train wreck that is the VGAs.
This week’s addition to the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection is Soul Sacrifice for Vita. It’s a very dark game, requiring you to sacrifice parts of your body (or your life) to gain power – the greater the sacrifice, the greater the power. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is now on the last chance list.
Ready for a jump start on Black Friday? XBox Live has some ridiculous deals this week for digital games. This is a great time to catch up on last-gen games while also saving some cash to get your next gen system (if you haven’t already). Of particular note is (possibly my game of the year) the Tomb Raider reboot for $15, Skyrim for $15, Fallout 3 for $7.49 (its five DLC chapters are $1.69/each), The Cave for $3.74 (another GotY contender), and Sleeping Dogs at $12.39. At those prices you’re basically obligated to pick up any you’ve missed. Here’s the full list:
- The Bureau: XCOM Declassified – $19.79
- Tomb Raider – $14.99
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – $14.99
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dawnguard – $4.99
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dragonborn – $9.99
- Fallout 3 – $7.49 (Mothership Zeta, Point Lookout, The Pitt, Operation Anchorage, Broken Steel – $1.69/ea)
- Mark of the Ninja – $5.09 (Special Edition – $1.69)
- BIT.TRIP Presents… Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien – $7.49
- Dust: An Elysian Tail – $5.09
- The Cave – $3.74
- Motocross Madness – $4.99
- Sleeping Dogs – $12.39
- Metro: Last Light – $24.99
- Sacred Citadel – $7.49
- Wolfenstein 3D – $1.24
- Deadpool – $29.99
- God Mode – $4.99
- Rockstar Table Tennis – $5.09
- Dead Block – $2.49
- AMY – $2.49
- Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords – $2.99
- Puzzle Quest Galactrix – $5.09
There are additional, one day sales coming as well, starting with Black Friday itself:
- Diablo III (US, CA & MX only) – 33% off
- WWE 2K14 – 33% off (Accelerator DLC – 50% off)
- Halo 4 Champions Bundle – 50% off
- Rayman Legends – 50% off
- Magic 2014 – 50% off
- Spider-Man: (Edge of Time, Friend or Foe, Shattered Dimensions, Web of Shadows) – 67% off/ea
- X-Men: Destiny – 50% off
- X-Men: (Origins Wolverine, The Official Game) – 67% off/ea
- Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen – 66% off
- Onechanbara – 80% off
And Cyber Monday:
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon – 75% off
- Red Dead Redemption – 75% off
- The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings – 75% off
- Dark Souls – 75% off
- BattleBlock Theater – 67% off
- Rayman Origins – 50% off
- L.A. Noire – 75% off
- Fast and Furious: Showdown – 75% off
- Men in Black: Alien Crisis – 75% off
Similar sales are expected for Sony’s PSN Store, but were not available at post time.
That does it for this week’s Video Game Quick Hits. We’ll be celebrating Thanksgaming with our families and our consoles, both new and old. I’m particularly hoping to get some co-op time with Beyond: Two Souls. What are you playing through the long weekend (or wish you were playing instead of dealing with the Wal-Martians going sale-crazy)?