For us Americans, the week of November 11^th is a time of reflection.  It’s a day where we give two minutes of silence to our armed forces, whether they be dead or alive, in order to remember the sacrifices they have made to keep the opposing forces who would take our livelihood away and keep them at bay.  This is an important weekend for Americans  and one that should be honored…and what better way to honor it by enjoying another segment of Rumor Has It!!!

Yes sir, this week we got rumors about Call of Duty heading to uncharted waters, Google TV finding a home on a certain console, a squeal to a certain overkilling game and everyone’s favorite sack on a new adventure.  Yeah, sure, it’s been a busy week, but we’ve rolled up the sleeves and got our hands dirty to deliver unto thee an all-new edition of Rumor Has It!

 

THE RUMOR: Next Call of Duty will have futuristic setting

THE SOURCE: The Escapist

MY TAKE: We’ve answered the call during WWII (quite a few times…), the 60s and during modern times.  Now it appears the Call of Duty franchise wants us to serve in a completely different time period.  According to industry sources the next COD will be made by the newly formed Sledgehammer Games and will abandon all ties to their “realistic” settings and hyper-jumping into the future.  How much do we know about this rumor aside from that…not much.  All we have to go by may be the domains that Activision claimed back in May which included names like Space Warfare, Future Warfare and Secret Warfare.  Sounds like Captain Price could be donning Space Marine armor and kicking some Russian alien butt doesn’t it?  Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves (bazinga!).  As of now we don’t even know which developer will be releasing the next COD title so honestly the whole franchise is up in the air.  Infinity Ward would be next in line under normal circumstances which makes them the leading candidate with Modern Warfare 3 to keep the every other year trend going.  However, with that bit of drama-rama happening over the course of this year it’s easy to see how their game could be a tad behind in development.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

As silly as it may sound it’s a logical step for the franchise that could reinvent the FPS genre…again!  By having the game in a futuristic, borderline sci-fi setting they don’t have to worry about those silly things like realism and historical accuracy and any of that nonsense that has kept the franchise in chains.  With a new developer working in a completely different setting, there’s some serious potential for the franchise to use a different and more vibrant presentation, change some gameplay mechanics and improve the current Call of Duty model overall which, while effective, is getting a little stale to be honest.  Of course, if this just turns out to be Modern Warfare 2 with a Sci-fi coat of paint then it won’t be anything more than a wasted opportunity.  The only part of this rumor I’m a little iffy on is where the article says this futuristic game will be the next COD.  I’m thinking the next COD will be Modern Warfare 3 to round out the trilogy and then the year after that the folks at Sledgehammer will get their shot at the franchise.


THE RUMOR: Google TV is coming to the PS3

THE SOURCE: Destructoid
 
MY TAKE: Judging by the pattern that’s beginning to emerge, the next generation consoles are going to come with microwave ovens…that way you truly never have to turn them off.  Anyway, the latest rumor about PS3 applications regards Sony’s apparently new best buddy in the whole wide world, Google, bringing the new software platform Google TV to the console.  What is Google TV you ask? Well, it’s a platform currently installed in Sony TVs, certain Blu-ray players and a Logitech top box.  If you have access to Google TV you can surf the web, install apps and search your cable for certain shows like using a Google search engine.  There’s more to it and you can check it all out here, but the bottom line is that this platform could end up on your PS3.  With a lot of Google software finding its way onto Sony products like Android on Sony Ericsson and Google TV on Sony TVs and Blu-rays there doesn’t seem to be a reason to keep Google TV off the PS3. However, just like a lot of things, just because it may be possible doesn’t mean it will actually happen.

THE VERDICT: KILL IT!!!
 
I really don’t see this one happening…at least in terms of working exactly how it works with the current Google TV products.  Searching TV listings, limitless apps, direct access to Amazon VOD all seem like options that will probably end up not fitting into the PS3 plan.  I know Sony isn’t exactly a big fan of having an open source program on their gaming rig because I image a “Free PS3 Games” app would be the first one on the marketplace.  However, the article also mentions the Google TV could be a collection of apps including YouTube, Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter and even Google Chrome.  Now that would not only be awesome but it would also be much more likely.  The chunkiness of the current PS Browser is well documented and not only would the apps allow for a more specialized web experience ala Xbox Live but having Chrome (my browser of choice) would solve those issues in spades.  So those looking to watch cable TV on your PS3 maybe out of luck, at least until the next generation PlayStation…but that’s a rumor for another time.


THE RUMOR: House of the Dead: Overkill 2 is on its way

THE SOURCE: Eurogamer

MY TAKE: This one might puzzle people.  “What the hell was House of the Dead: Overkill?” some may ask.  “It’s House of the Dead of course and there will be a sequel you fool” or “It’ll just be garbage” others will say.  These ill informed comments will come from people who’ve never played the first House of the Dead: Overkill…those of us who have played it however know that Overkill was a gem disguised as a dungball hidden deep inside the Wii line-up.  While Wii owners were busy with their New Super Mario Bros Wii and Wii Fit, us brave adventurers took a ride through carnivals and laboratories while listening to Detective Isaac Washington bless us with his poetic limericks about the situation at hand.  Bottom line, House of the Dead: Overkill may not have made anyone’s Game of the Year lists but it was a record breaking, hilarious rail-shooter that didn’t sell as well as Sega probably hoped (mostly because they can’t market themselves out of a paper bag).  So according to the source, the project codename House of the Dead: Overkill 2 is well on its way and will see store shelves “early to mid 2011” on the Wii and maybe the PS Move.  Because nothing says motion controller like a rail-shooter, right guys?

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

Why would House of the Dead: Overkill developers London’s Headstrong Games be bothering with a sequel to a timeless game? Probably because it’s their best franchise (seriously) and more importantly the opportunity to keep that record for “Most Profane Video Game” intact.  On a serious note, the Wii needs more games like House of the Dead: Overkill (yes, I’m serious).  For a console based on essentially a gimmick whose target audience is soccer moms, fisher price kids and nostalgic gamers that need a game every once in a while that takes the piss out of something.  That’s what Overkill is, a game that is a parody of its genre and franchise that knows that a cheeky script and solid gameplay are all you need to create a solid mature entertainment experience, and I use “mature” in the loosest of terms.  If London’s Headstrong Games can add some online multiplayer, a longer story and more modes they could seriously develop a cult following for their games. I for one am looking forward to this sequel because I know if nothing else they will break their F-Bomb record – and that’s something everyone has to experience.



THE RUMOR: New Sackboy PS Move title coming soon

THE SOURCE: IGN

MY TAKE: That cute little sack bastard Sackboy could be taking his adorable act to Prehistoric times if the Australian Classification Board has anything to say about it.  Their submission list had an interesting listing on it called Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves which indicates a collaborative effort between LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule and PS Move titles developer Supermassive will be coming soon.  Seems to make sense since Sackboy has essentially become the family mascot for the PS3 and the Move, believe it or not, is targeted more toward family gaming than anything else.  To me, a cute family friendly spin-off of LittleBigPlanet seems like the perfect complimentary game for Sony’s steroid induced Wii-mote. However, isn’t Media Molecule a little busy with LittleBigPlanet 2 and its community to be helping develop a spin-off game?  That’s possible too and that’s why this is a rumor, because nothing is for certain.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

Why wouldn’t the personification of family gaming make his way onto Sony’s latest peripheral?  It makes sense from almost all stand points.  Sackboy is cute, dinosaurs, leopard skin undies and other prehistoric items are cool!  It’s just the perfect recipe for success.  Still, there is a big question that is an elephant in the room…what kind of game will it be?  Will it be just a spinoff of LittleBigPlanet and if it is why isn’t it called LittleBigPlanet: Prehistoric Moves?  That’s what leads me to believe this game will fall under a completely different genre…or at least not have the creation aspect of LittleBigPlanet as we know it. My best guess would be a minigame collection that stars a bunch of Sackboys and girls in Prehistoric themed games similar to Mario Party and such.  So if you’re one of those people that love Sackboy so much you want him in the…sack, you better save your nickels and pennies for a Move controller because Sackboy is going to be moving on over to motion controls sometime soon!

My final say this week goes out to a franchise that’s been due for a revival ever since it entered the third dimension, Mortal Kombat.  This is the franchise that literally created the need for the ESRB with its brutal fighting gameplay and gory as all hell fatalities.  This franchise along with Street Fighter was the benchmark for fighting games for the longest time.  Then we hit the 64-Bit era and 3D gaming became a reality and the franchise never seemed to recover.  Sure, Mortal Kombat Deception is still one of my favorite fighting games, but none of those titles will ever be considered classics.  It even got so bad that I actually boycotted Mortal Kombat vs. DC on the bases that a Teen rated Mortal Kombat is simply not a Mortal Kombat game.  However, now we’re close to the end 2010 and judging by what we’ve seen of the latest Mortal Kombat, the new installment is going to be a true revival of the franchise.  By going back to basics and turning the gore up to 11 it really looks like Ed Boon and the folks at Netherrealm Studios have an instant classic on their hands…one I believe will compete with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for Fighting Game of the Year.