Video Game Quick Hits 5/16/14

To start this Friday edition, there were a couple of stories big enough to warrant their own feature on BSR! this week. In case you missed them:

343 has announced Halo 5: Guardians for Fall 2015.

Microsoft is releasing a $399 Xbox One without the Kinect.

In other news, while the PlayStation branch of the company is doing well, Sony itself is not. Mostly due to massive losses in the PC division, the company is reporting a loss of over $1.3billion. As a result, top management in the company (including CEO Kaz Hirai) will be taking a 50% pay cut this year and will not be receiving their annual bonuses. The company may be suffering losses, but they are still considered fairly strong. These pay cuts, combined with some reorganization, may put them back on the right track for a less damaging (if not necessarily profitable) upcoming fiscal year.

4A Games, the Ukraine-based developer behind Metro: Last Light, has announced they are moving their headquarters to Malta. Some of the key staff will be making the move, including the Chief Technical Officer (Oles Shishkovstov) and Creative Director (Andrew Prokhorov). According to CEO Dean Sharpe, “By basing our new headquarters in Malta, a member state of the EU, 4A Games will be able to better compete on the international stage.” He goes on to highlight the benefits of Malta, but subtext is clearly that the new location won’t be knocking around extremely close to a civil war, qon’t have freezing conditions with power interruptions, and no corrupt officials stealing very expensive electronics. Current projects for the company include XB1 and PS4 remakes of Metro 2033 and Last Light, “unannounced titles within the Metro universe as well as further, unannounced projects.”

The Collector’s Edition of Dragon Age: Inquisition has been revealed for pre-order in the US and UK. All being packaged in an “Inquisitor’s Case” (cool chest), the bundle will include a steelbook Deluxe Edition of the game, lockpick set, Inquisitor badge, Tarot card set, ink and quill set, Orlesian coins, sketch book, War Table pieces, and a Thedas map. In addition to the physical goodies, you’ll also get bonus game content in the form of a Skyhold throne, two mounts (the Red Hart Halla and Bog Unicorn), digital soundtrack, Flames of the Inquisition gear (weapons, armor, armored mount), and further “to be announced” content. This edition does come with a hefty price tag, $169.99, but it’s also a pretty formidable collection for series’ fans. The game launches October 10, 2014.

DA: Inquisition Collector's Edition

Microsoft’s Games With Gold program is making its way to the Xbox One, starting in June. The first free title for the console will be Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood, followed by Halo: Spartan Assault. Through the program, these games will be available on either your 360 or XB1. They are also expanding the program to include Deals With Gold, which is basically the equivalent of Sony’s PS+ sale prices. Their first deals are zombie-based, with plenty of digital zombie content for various games. According to Phil Spencer, “In the coming months, we will offer significant savings of up to 50 – 75 percent off certain titles.” Early games rumored for those deals are Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome. On a related note, June is also the one year anniversary of the Games With Gold program. To celebrate, the 360 will be getting three games in the program: Dark Souls, Charlie Murder, and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. However, all of this good news comes with a caveat. Microsoft is taking another page from Sony and restricting use of these games only to players with a current Gold subscription.

The Games With Gold expansion isn’t the only change to Microsoft’s Xbox Live. They’ve been heavily criticized for requiring a pay subscription to access other pay services like Netflix. That is changing as well. “Coming in June, anyone with an Xbox will be to access popular entertainment experiences – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership,” according to the official announcement. In a very generous move, if you paid for your subscription solely to access those entertainment apps, Microsoft is offering a refund after June (pro-rated, of course). You will need to submit your request for a refund to Microsoft by August 31, 2014. Not sure what’s available on the two consoles? Here’s a handy infographic:

XBL Info

During an investor call this week, Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, said Rockstar is “hard at work on their upcoming line-up and we’re excited about what they have in store for the new generation of systems this fiscal year.” For those not familiar with the accounting calendar, their fiscal year ends March 2015. Whatever they’re “hard at work” on would need to be releasing before that time to coincide with his statement. This could be something as simple as a Grand Theft Auto V port, or as exciting as a new Red Dead Redemption. Personally, I can’t wait to find out.

Sony’s PlayStation Now is currently in beta with a small selection of games. They have not announced a release date for the full version, but they are saying to expect “hundreds” of accessible games at launch. The service, which allows you to stream games for a rental or subscription fee, is expected in the US this summer. Curious about the beta? I have access to it, but my attempts to stream games have all been met with failure as the PS3 app tells me my internet speed is too slow and suggests I use a wired connection. If I had the time I might try that suggestion. But I have a notoriously slow connection anyway and doubt it would work.

 That’s all for this week. Come on back Tuesday for more gaming news.