Happy November to all ye Henchmen's looking forward to a month filled with mutated turkeys and insane holiday sales. Fortunately for gamers, we’ve got some mega blockbusters coming down the pipeline with Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Epic Mickey, Splatterhouse and that Calling of Duty game everyone keeps talking about.  I don’t know about you but I think that one could be a surprise hit (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, butt grab).  This concentration of releases could end up causing a rumor shortage but judging by this week we might not have much to fear.






THE RUMOR: SOCOM developer is working on “team based” Resident Evil

THE SOURCE: Giantbomb
 
MY TAKE: Now this one might freak out Resident Evil enthusiasts more than any scares you were exposed to during Halloween.  According to the source (Kotaku), documents that indicated SOCOM developers Slant Six are creating a “team based” Resident Evil game under Capcom currently named Resident Evil: Raccoon City.  This may shock some people but it actually seems quite plausible.  Capcom is mighty generous with its franchises, letting outside developers like GRIN (R.I.P), Blue Castle Games and Ninja Theory take the reins of their beloved IPs.  It also fits in with news on Slant Six’s blog which indicates they are working with a “new publishing partner” on a “world class franchise” that will be a “multiplayer action game.”  Also, they were apparently seeking out a Japanese interpreter which is quite interesting.  All these facts seem to blend together and actually bring credibility to this seemingly bizarre rumor.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

I believe it but I don’t necessarily like it. Though I’ll be the first one to agree that the Resident Evil franchise needs a serious kick in the teeth…it definitely does not need to get a “multiplayer action game”.  I think after the success of Resident Evil 4 Capcom forgot that their star franchise is a survival HORROR series.  That’s the issue I have with Slant Six taking the helm on this project.  We all know they can do shooters, that their squad mechanics are solid and despite the less than stellar reviews of their only console release (SOCOM: Confrontation) I believe any developer who can make a shooter work on the PSP is capable of great things.  Either way, this release will pretty much define the future of the Resident Evil franchise in my humble opinion.  If Slant Six can successfully blend their squad based action with some well done horror elements than we could have a revival of Resident Evil on our hands…if not, this could be the end of Resident Evil as we know it as it shifts to the “be all things to all people” model that has killed off many a franchise (okay maybe not that dramatic but you get the idea).
 



THE RUMOR: Mike Haggar is playable in Marvel vs. Capcom 3

THE SOURCE: Destructoid

MY TAKE: He’s a professional wrestler.  He’s a mayor.  While in office he took time off to kick the Mad Gear gang’s ass.  He’s arguably one of the most beloved video game characters ever. He’s Mike freakin’ Haggar!!!  So if he’s all these things and so much more awesome…why hasn’t he been in a Capcom crossover fighting game minus the odd cameo?  Well I couldn’t tell you but I can tell you that if the latest MvC3 rumor is true then the big Mayor could be laying down his authority very soon.  In what could be a Halloween trick or treat, a photo taken at Capcom Japan’s Halloween party shows the Final Fight star standing in the Tron Bonne stage.  Now, while it’s clear that that burly blurry man is unmistakably Mike Haggard, the question is if he is actually playable?  It’s possible he isn’t.  Capcom has already stated there will be tons of cameos in the game that will feature non playable characters.  There’s also the possibility he’s just an unlockable skin for someone like Zangief.  So no – just cause he’s in the game doesn’t mean it’s a sure fire thing that he’s playable. We don't really know for sure.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

The biggest factor working in Haggar’s favor in becoming a playable character is the trend that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 seems to be including new characters never seen in its crossover fighting games.  As difficult as this is being that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had a large 58 character roster they’ve done an admiral job so far. So keeping that trend in mind it seems logical they would use Haggar, a well known character from a well known franchise, in their newest game.  It also helps that Zangief hasn’t been announced as a character because if he had the Haggar campaign would basically be over.  So with all those factors combined I think it’s a no-brainer that Haggar makes it onto Marvel vs. Capcom 3.  I mean come on, if the guy can win over the city of New York to become mayor he should be able to campaign his way on MvC3, right?






THE RUMOR: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, PilotWings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats, and Steel Diver are part of the 3DS launch line-up.

THE SOURCE: 1UP


MY TAKE: Sure, it may be a touch early to take any rumors regarding 3DS launch titles seriously but he launch line-up has been leaked at Nintendo’s financial results meeting with investors…kind of. Basically, 1UP has gotten their hands on the “Launch Schedule of Primary Nintendo Products by Region” which of course is all about 3DS because, let’s be honest, come March nothing else Nintendo does will matter.  On this doc it shows the 3DS launching on Feb 26^th in Japan as we already know with the aforementioned games above listed for spring 2011, Kid Icarus: Uprising in 2011 and everything else as TBA.  On the American and European side we have the 3DS still listed in March 2011 with all games TBA.  This seems to indicate those games will be the ones seen on day one of the 3DS launch…at least in Japan.  However, it seems logical that the launch games in the East would at least be close to the same as in other regions. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong but hey…I’m just giving my best educated guess.


THE VERDICT: SPARE IT!!!

This one’s tough to tell because it’s still a few months before launch and we don’t really know which games are far in development and which are still works in progress.  Pilotwings Resort only has had two playable mini games, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D has had a small demo with journalist and the same goes for Nintendogs + Cats, and Steel Diver.  So with little to go on from the games front it’s hard to tell.  Also, can anyone tell me if Nintendo’s fiscal Spring 2011 is different from what we normal people would qualify as Spring?  This is a big deal because if what most of us consider spring as March to May is applied then these games actually don’t fall into the launch window of the 3DS in Japan.  So it’s hard to tell but I think as we approach the end of 2010 we’ll begin to get more information on the games coming for the 3DS and when we’ll be expected to see them. On a brighter note, wouldn’t it be AWESOME if Ocarina of Time 3D was a launch title???



THE RUMOR:  Gran Turismo 5 will be released November 30^th, 2010

THE SOURCE: Eurogamer

MY TAKE: Boy has Gran Turismo 5 been on one hell of a roller coaster ride.  It seemed the game was destined to meet its November 2, 2010 release date, the latest trailer gave the date and it seemed nothing could stop this game from hitting store shelves…but something did.  SONY! Low and behold it turns out the reason you aren’t playing GT5 right now is because the game missed its production day by three days!  Three measly days!! That’s the business of games though so we have to suck up our tears and get through it. Now it seems some cruel bastards want to play with our heart strings again by claiming the game will be released on or around November 30^th.  This date comes courtesy of Sony’s online store.  Now, with the recent news that the GT5 disks are actually being printed as you read this, it seems possible that the game will launch on or around the November 30^th.  So is it possible? Could the real final release date for GT5 be on November 30^th or is Sony just being cruel to us again?

THE VERDICT: KILL IT!!!
It seems highly unlikely to me that we will see Gran Turismo 5 on or around November 30^th because it’s just too soon…in terms of marketing anyway.  Three weeks is way too soon for Sony to get a decent marketing buzz going for the game and to have it make a big impact during the holidays which, given the PS3 holiday line-up, is the one new game that will sell serious consoles.  So why would Sony take their biggest chip in the holiday pot and race (no pun intended) to launch in just over 3 weeks?  The answer is simple, they won’t.  Instead, I bet they wait till mid-to-late December at the VERY earliest to catch the Christmas rush but that’s only if they announce the release date within the next week or two.  Barring that I think the release date of GT5 could fall into 2011 which in my opinion will end up being a costly mistake by Sony.
 
Okay, so this column is coming out in an odd time since I’m being sandwiched between the two biggest stories of fall 2010 with Kinect just being released and Call of Duty: Black Ops coming out on Tuesday.  So the question becomes…do I bash/praise Kinect or bash/praise Black Ops.  The answer to that is quite simple; I’m not going to comment on either because I know for a fact the internet is going to be seriously over saturated with blogs and articles on both subjects.  Instead I want to talk about a big title that I hope doesn’t end up lost in the shuffle, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood and its multiplayer.  In a market overflowing with gritty FPS’s featuringh gray and brown color pallets I think it’s going to be refreshing to play a more tactical stealth based multiplayer experience set in a vibrant, unique world.  Seriously guys, when you’re exhausted from all the teabagging, cursing and glitches that current multiplayer games seem to bring, you should check out Assassins Creed: Brotherhood because I think it has some serious potential to surprise people. Let’s hope this is the case…