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PSA: Muramasa Rebirth invades Europe
Following a March release in Japan and a June release in North America, Aksys Games has announced that Muramasa Rebirth is now available to European Vita owners via PlayStation Network download. As its name suggests, Muramasa Rebirth is an enhanced re-release of 2009's Wii-exclusive Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The original game was widely praised - JC awarded it a 5/5 score and described the game alternately as "beautiful" and a "great action game" - but the Vita remake adds a host of new features including improved graphics and customizable controls designed with Sony's handheld in mind. Aksys has also used this release to remind players to keep an eye out for four upcoming DLC packs for Muramasa Rebirth, though the publisher offers no word on when they might appear. On arrival, these additions should expand the game by a sizable margin as each pack will introduce a new playable character as well as new areas to explore.
Puzzle shooter Velocity Ultra making a light-speed dash for PS3 this year
FuturLab's hybrid puzzler and shoot-'em-up Velocity Ultra will hit the PlayStation 3 later this year in an HD-rendered port co-developed by Curve Digital. Originally launched as part of the PlayStation minis catalog, Velocity Ultra saw an upgraded PlayStation Vita release earlier this year that added twin-stick gameplay mechanics and a variety of new challenges. Velocity Ultra mixes brain-teasers with manic alien-blasting action, challenging players to teleport back and forth throughout each vertically scrolling level to rescue hidden survivors amidst enemy swarms. The PlayStation 3 version of Velocity Ultra will share leaderboards and trophies with the PS Vita edition when it debuts on the PlayStation Network by the end of 2013.
GAME addresses PS4 Watch Dogs bundle situation for UK buyers
UK retailer GAME has taken to Twitter to reassure its customers in the wake of yesterday's Watch Dogs delay, and to explain how this affects existing PlayStation 4 pre-orders. Happily, those who've already dropped cash on a PlayStation 4 or Watch Dogs pre-order need not worry: Both items will be available to you as soon as they launch. GAME is currently ironing out details on how it will alter those pre-orders that include both a PlayStation 4 and Watch Dogs, but the retailer claims that it will soon be in touch with customers to offer further information. This news comes shortly after similar public responses from both Amazon and GameStop. As we reported yesterday, those who pre-ordered PlayStation 4 systems from either of those retailers will not have their dreams of unwrapping a new console at launch dashed by this Watch Dogs situation.
Ubisoft shares drop 25 percent following delays
Yesterday, Ubisoft announced delays for both Watch Dogs and The Crew, two games so highly anticipated that news of these delays prompted Ubisoft stock to shed more than 25 percent of its value. As of now, Ubisoft stock is trading at $8.19 per share. That's a 26.15 percent dip from just yesterday when Ubisoft was valued as high as $11.10 per share. So far the stock has shown only minor signs of rebounding, though these have immediately been followed by further value loss. Though the delays of Watch Dogs and The Crew are the comically gargantuan straws that shattered the camel's back, they are not the sole reason for Ubisoft's sudden financial woes. Rayman Legends and Splinter Cell: Blacklist, two games that Ubisoft expected to sell like gangbusters, failed to perform at retail. "We have had games that were released for which we anticipate today lower sales than we anticipated when we gave our first targets," said Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez during the firm's most recent investors' conference call. "Already released games such as, of course, Splinter Cell, Rayman, and others."
Sony: Try the PS4 at newly installed demo kiosks
Sony's got good news for those of you hoping to test out the PlayStation 4 prior to its launch: By visiting select retailers, players can try the PS4 right this very minute. According to Sony, these demo kiosks will be gradually rolled out over the coming weeks, leading up to the PS4 launch. Sony Stores, GameStop, Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy are most likely to receive kiosks first, though Sony claims that other retailers will also be participating. This means nothing to you if there's not a participating store in your area, but helpfully Sony has also issued a list of which stores now feature PS4 kiosks. If you visit Experience PlayStation and enter your zip code, you'll be presented with a map of all stores carrying PS4 demo stations within your area. The system seems to be a bit glitchy at the moment - according to Experience PlayStation, the PS4 kiosk nearest my apartment is supposedly inside "The Wood Doctor," a hardware store specializing in kitchen remodeling - but Sony has assured us that this is a temporary problem.
Peek inside Payday 2's Lootbag DLC on Xbox 360, PS3 today
Both Xbox 360 and PS3 can pick up Payday 2's Lootbag DLC, previously a pre-order exclusive, for $5 today. Inside the Lootbag, players will find some extra in-game cash, a red dot sight compatible with all rifles and shotguns, a skull mask, black and red mask customization color scheme and an "I Love Overkill!" mask emblem. Developer Overkill Software has also announced a Payday 2 demo has infiltrated Xbox Live today. The demo is coming to PS3, Overkill says, though timing has yet to be determined. Payday 2, a game where four crooks band together to pull off heists and other illegal jobs for wealthy drug lords and psychopaths, launched back in August for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. In our review, we lauded the game's co-operative play and "nonstop series of little stories and moments of surprise" that happen every time the four embark on a job.
PS4 games can now be pre-ordered from your PS3
Sony has begun rolling out next-gen software pre-orders on the PSN and SEN stores, beginning with PS4 launch titles Knack and Warframe. This allows the current-gen PS3 to help pave the way for the upcoming PS4, kind of like an older sibling putting up wallpaper in a nursery to prepare for their new baby brother. D'aww. Users who log onto the PS3's version of the PlayStation Store can find the games by scrolling down to the "PS4 Preview" menu. Knack is listed at $59.99, while Warframe is free. Pre-odering a free-to-play game might seem strange, but doing so will net you in-game money and an exclusive weapon skin. These downloads will be ready to install on launch day for the PS4.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Rayman Legends among Ubisoft underperformers
A number of Ubisoft's games from this fiscal year are selling less than the publisher targeted, including Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rayman: Legends. Those were the games name-checked by CFO Alain Martinez when pressed on the company's adjusted forecasts in the wake of delays to Watch Dogs and The Crew. "We have had games that were released for which we anticipate today lower sales than we anticipated when we gave our first targets," Martinez said during an investors' conference call. When asked to clarify which games he was talking about, he added, "Already released games such as, of course, Splinter Cell, Rayman, and others." Ubisoft adjusted its averaged revenue forecasts for this fiscal year by €415 million, around $561 million, and expects to make an operating loss rather than a profit. The publisher stated this was principally due to the surprise delays to Watch Dogs and The Crew. Ubisoft delayed the once Wii U-exclusive Rayman Legends to bring it to other platforms and gain more sales. Meanwhile, Splinter Cell: Blacklist placed fourth in August's NPD charts, selling less than Madden 25, Saints Row 4, and Disney Infinity.
The Crew projected to sell over 2.5 million, Watch Dogs forecast unchanged
Ubisoft expects the The Crew to sell more than 2.5 million units, while Watch Dogs is still projected to exceed the 6.2 million first-year sales of the first Assassin's Creed. In an investors' conference call, CFO Alain Martinez said Ubisoft is "still in line" with its Watch Dogs projections despite the publisher delaying the formerly next-gen launch title to spring 2014. In the case of The Crew, pushed back to mid-2014 at least, Martinez noted a "more limited potential" compared to Watch Dogs because it's a racer. "We generally have spoken to about over two-and-a-half million units" said Martinez. "We'll see where we go and we believe that we have a nice potential for the future." Ubisoft Reflections' open-world multiplayer racer was previously slated to arrive on Xbox One, PS4, and PC in the first calendar quarter of 2014 (January to March 2014). In Ubisoft's press release regarding both the Watch Dogs and The Crew delays, co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot stated, "In a context of growing successes for mega-blockbusters, the additional time given to the development of our titles will allow them to fulfill their huge ambitions and thus offer players even more exceptional experiences." When pressed on the Watch Dogs delay during the conference call, Guillemot said that Ubisoft was playtesting the game until the last minute before making the decision: "What we saw in the playtests is that we were very close to the quality we wanted but not exactly at the level, and we saw that with more time we could give it a far bigger potential. So we think it's the best way to take care of this brand, is to make sure it has everything ... it can supply to the customers who are expecting it."
Borderlands 2 new Halloween-themed DLC available Oct. 22
Borderlands 2's "headhunter" series begins with a trip to hollow out a Pumpkin Kingpin's head for your Vault Hunter to wear. The downloadable content with the Thanksgiving mouthful of a name, "Headhunter 1: TK Baha's Bloody Harvest," will be available on Steam, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 22. Each headhunter installment will culminate with Vault Hunters fighting a "rather unique" boss and then taking their head to wear. It's far less creepy than that Hannibal Lecter image you've got in your head. This first installment concludes with a trip to the Pumpkin Kingpin's pumpkin patch to claim his orange melon. Are pumpkins melons? Too early to Wiki it. The DLC is priced at $2.99 and can be completed "in a single sitting," according to 2K Games. In keeping with the spirit of Halloween, there will also be pieces of candy from enemy drops that provide temporary buffs. Oooo, piece of candy. Ooo, piece of candy...
PSA: Dragon's Crown cross-play update now on PS3, PS Vita
The cross-play update for Dragon's Crown is live. If you purchased Dragon's Crown on either PS3 or PS Vita, you'll find you can now install the update and play on the other system at no extra cost. Dragon's Crown is a 2D beat-em-up developed by Japanese outfit Vanillaware, the same studio who brought us Muramasa Rebirth. In our review, we said it just might be Vanillaware's best game to date – and "if you're committed to leveling up all six playable classes, you'll be playing Dragon's Crown for a long time to come."
PSN Tuesday: The Wolf Among Us, free Poker Night 2 for PS Plus
The first episode of Telltale's The Wolf Among Us debuts on PSN today. Knack and Warframe, both PS4 launch games, are up for pre-order today, and there are several new PS3 games and bundles available. Poker Night 2 is free to all PS Plus subscribers this week, and Valhalla Knights 3 and Angry Birds Trilogy are both up for grabs on PS Vita. Finally, there are several Capcom discounts to take advantage of this week, including deals on Okami HD, Remember Me, and Street Fighter X Tekken.
Amazon: Watch Dogs PS4 bundle pre-orders will get the system on time [Update: GameStop responds]
Update: GameStop has sent out an email to customers who pre-ordered the Watch Dogs PS4 bundle, which Pixel Enemy has posted online. These customers may either elect to receive their console on time and get the game separately, when it ships later, or exchange the bundle entirely for another. Those that pre-ordered a PS4 launch bundle packaged that was slated to include Watch Dogs will still receive their consoles on time, Amazon reassured buyers. The news follows Watch Dogs' delay to spring 2014, along with a delay for Ubisoft's racer The Crew. In an update on the bundle's product page, Amazon noted that "all orders for the Watch Dogs PlayStation 4 bundle will keep their place in line and we will fulfill the PlayStation 4 (without the Watch Dogs game) in accordance with your current delivery estimate." Amazon added that it is "working on adjusting these orders and will update you as soon as we know more." Stock for the launch-day bundles have come and gone, and include Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack and Battlefield 4. [Thanks, Eric!]
Diablo 3 patch fixes crashes, stops endless vibration on Xbox 360
Following a PlayStation 3 release on October 1, Blizzard has now issued the 1.02 patch for the Xbox 360 incarnation of Diablo 3. Most notably, this patch fixes a number of relatively common in-game scenarios that have been causing the game to crash. It also improves the item-handling abilities of your character's Followers, ensures that proper gems can be found in higher difficulty levels and fixes an issue that would cause a player's controller to vibrate indefinitely. As with all Xbox 360 patches, this latest Diablo 3 update will be applied the next time you fire up your online-enabled console. A full list of changes can be found on the official Diablo 3 website. Just ignore the bit at the top stating the details only apply to the PlayStation 3 game; apparently Blizzard has yet to update that particular page.
Next Mass Effect abandons Shepard, but won't 'feel like a spin-off'
When the next entry in the Mass Effect franchise inevitably arrives, it will feature a brand new story unrelated to Commander Shepard and his or her crew of sexually promiscuous extraterrestrials. Mac Walters, lead writer for the franchise, was asked by Complex where BioWare plans to take the series' plot now that it's been revealed that Commander Shepard is no longer leading things. "... the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn't relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever," replied Walters. "But throughout it all, one of the key things is that it has to be Mass Effect. It can't just feel like a spin-off. It has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart, at its core." "Just without the Shepard character or the Shepard-specific companions," added Walters. The writer was then asked for his opinion on fan backlash toward the ending of Mass Effect 3, a response that gave Walters and his colleagues at BioWare a greater appreciation for just how much people care about the pixelated people he writes. "I think that's one of the things we really underestimated, which was how much ownership people would take over a character that they could do that," said Walters. "You know, you've been given free choice to make all these decisions with this character, with the fates of millions of people, and then, you don't get to choose your own fate." "I'm not saying that our decision was wrong or right," said Walters. "I think we just underestimated the impact that would have on certain players."
The Crew delayed to mid-2014, at least [Update]
Ubisoft has delayed The Crew to launch in Q2 of fiscal year 2015, which runs from July 2014 to September 2014, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in an investor call today. It was originally scheduled to launch in early 2014. The Crew is Ubisoft's open-world racing game for next-gen systems. "Our long term goal is to win the next generation," Guillemot said in a press release. "The tough decisions we are taking today to fully realize the major potential of our new creations have an impact on our short-term performance. We are convinced that, longer term, they will prove to be the right decisions both in terms of satisfaction for our fans and in terms of value creation for our shareholders. We are building franchises that will become perennial pillars of Ubisoft's financial performance." Ubisoft also announced the delay of Watch Dogs today.
Watch Dogs delayed to Spring 2014
Ubisoft announced today that Watch Dogs has been delayed until Spring 2014. Communications manager Gary Steinman writes on the Watch Dogs blog, "As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine tune each detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience." The game was originally slated to be released this November on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It was expected to be one of the highlights of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launches. Speaking during Ubisoft's financial results call, president Yves Guillemot said, "Today we can say we already have a great game in hand. Still, in a world of mega-blockbusters, we have now come to the conclusion that the team needed additional time to realize the game's full potential." This additional time, he said, will allow Ubisoft to ensure that Watch Dogs is a "long term pillar" of the company's portfolio, much like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry.
Assassin's Creed 4 PS3, 360 release date goes global, October 29 for all
Second star to the left and straight on 'til morning: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag docks on PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles worldwide on October 29. The game was due in the UK and Europe on November 1, but Ubisoft got its Oprah on and decided everyone gets to plunder and pillage starting two weeks from now. Well, not quite everyone. European Wii U and PC owners still have to wait until November 22 to nab AC4, as do prospective PS4 and Xbox One owners. As for North America, the Wii U version is due October 29, the PC version November 19, and the PS4 and Xbox One versions on the consoles' respective launch dates.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes PC demo swings into action
PC-owning fans of both comic books and sharp, angular blocks can now find a free demo of Lego Marvel Super Heroes on the game's official website. As Eurogamer points out, the demo is relatively short look at the game's virtual Manhattan but does include playable Iron Man and Hulk sections as well as appearances by Sandman and the Abomination. Developer TT Games announced the PC demo release during last weekend's New York Comic Con, alongside similar demos for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which should arrive later this week. Lego Marvel Super Heroes is slated for retail release on November 15, at which point you can find it on the Nintendo DS and 3DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Vita, Wii U and Windows platforms. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Lego Marvel Super Heroes are slated to be released as launch titles for those consoles.
Valhalla Knights 3 out Oct. 23 in Europe
XSEED Games' upcoming Vita-exclusive RPG finally has a release date for the fine folks in Europe. Valhalla Knights 3 will arrive in Europe on October 23, XSEED Localization Lead Ryan Graff confirmed in a blog post on the European PlayStation Blog. Valhalla Knights 3 features "200-plus quests and over 500 in-game items, weapons, armor and special goods" in its "over 40 hours of gameplay." The latest in the series will launch in North America on October 15. Available both digitally and in authentic plastic boxes(!), Valhalla Knights 3 carries a $40 price tag.
