I hope all you lovable Henchmen got your Valentine something special and filled your hearts with candy, love and all that wussy junk because we’re back with Rumor Has It! For those wondering about the absence of the Rumor Has It! (don’t know if many are but that’s okay) a severe rumor drought hit the interwebs these past two week leaving me with an empty gallows with nothing to slay. Fortunately we’re back in full gear. With that said, let us get started!
THE RUMOR: Battlefield 3 Limited Edition contents have been leaked
THE SOURCE: GameSpot
MY TAKE: We’re only a month and change into 2011 and already the stage has been set for a collision between two revered FPS franchises. Battlefield 3 has been slotted into the Fall 2011 release window and if everything stays status quo we’ll be seeing some form of Call of Duty around November, whether it be Modern Warfare 3 or otherwise. It’s a bit of a David vs. Goliath matchup but I think there is room for both franchise to succeed given their products live up to their pedigree. Anyway, we already know there will be a Limited Edition for Battlefield 3, that goes without saying, and if the supposedly leaked ad is legit then the contents of that Limited Edition have been ousted. The leaked ad says the Limited Edition will be available for those who pre-order the game and will include the Battlefield 3: Battle of Karkand expansion pack at no extra charge. This expansion pack apparently features a juicy collection of Battlefield 2 content including weapons, vehicles and four multiplayer “environments”. The ad also points out this content will be available one month after launch for those who didn’t pre-order.
THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!
It fits into the model that the Battlefield games have fallen into with their collector’s editions. Instead of making big extravagant packages that give you toys and collectables that will end up collecting dust on a shelf and cost over $100, DICE rewards players who pre-order the game with special bonuses that will entice pre-orders but won’t alienate late adaptors. I think including vintage Battlefield 2 maps with a FrostBite 2.0 makeover is a great reward for fans who have been waiting over 5 years for a true sequel to Battlefield 2. Also the ad looks pretty legit because lets be honest, if you were going to fake a Battlefield 3 Limited Edition, don’t you think you’d make up something more extravagant then maps? For example if the ad had said the Battlefield 3 Limited Edition comes with a replica M16 or keys to your own tank, then I may have called shenanigans.
THE RUMOR: A Dark Tower game is in the works
THE SOURCE: MTV Multiplayer
MY TAKE: There are going to be two kinds of people reading this. The ones who look at this and say “what the hell is The Dark Tower?” Everyone else is looking at this and saying “HOLY SH*T A DARK TOWER GAME, FINALLY!!!” For those in the former category, The Dark Tower is a series of seven (soon to be eight) novels written by Stephan King that follow the last gunslinger Roland Deschain of Gilead and his journey to find The Dark Tower. It’s an awesome blend of fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western and although I’ve only read the first novel I have every intention of reading the rest and recommend you do too! In April it was announced the books were being developed into a film trilogy along with a TV series to fill in the plot between the 3 films. This ambitious project is rumored to have a game attached to it “that will further utilize elements from the books” according to a tipster.
THE VERDICT: SPARE IT!
Although there is next to no information with this rumor, a video game complimenting a movie franchise isn’t exactly an unheard of concept. Given the project already has 3 feature films and a TV series planned it would make sense that Universal would want to add a video game to cover all their entertainment bases and rake in even more dough. Also, the action depicted in The Dark Tower has the potential to be made into an awesome action game. Whether it’s a third or first person shooter, there are definitely some set pieces in the series that would translate well into an awesome game. On the other hand, the reason why I’m sparing this is because of how little information we have. If the game is only in the planning stage there are a million things that can go wrong. Anything from budget cuts to the entire Dark Tower project being scrapped could send this game into development hell before we know it. So we’ll just leave this one for now until more details about The Dark Tower film project are released. From there we’ll be able to know if a video game fits into their marketing campaign.
THE RUMOR: Apple TV will support games
THE SOURCE: Engadget
MY TAKE: It has been thought for a while that Apple would be the next major corporation to jump into the console market. They’re already off to a good start with the app store and this rumor indicates the Apple TV could be their jumping off point. A “trusted tipster” has uncovered some code hidden in the iOS 4.3 beta 3 firmware that refers to “ATVGames” and “ATVThunder”, which apparently (I’ll take Engadget’s word for it) point to a “controller of some sort, leaderboards, a way to schedule games, and a store front.” All that stuff seems to be prepping the Apple TV to go from movie streaming device to video game system, which for a price point of $99 would be enticing. So what do you think? Is Apple prepping their little black box to become a sleeper console or has this “trusted tipster” missed the mark in reading the beta code?
THE VERDICT: KILL IT!!!
There are a few aspects of the Apple TV that hold it back from being a full fledge gaming console. For one it only has 8GB of internal memory which means there not chance in hell it would be able to store many save files or any DLC that could be available. It’s true they could set up a cloud gaming system ala OnLive which isn’t impossible but it seems unlikely. The other point is if Apple really wanted the Apple TV to become a gaming device…why wouldn’t they have made it one in the first place? It certainly would have sold more units as a $99 gaming and movie device then as just a standalone movie/music streaming device. I think that in the future we’ll see a new Apple TV device that includes some form of gaming component but for now we’ll have to keep playing Angry Birds on our portable devices and leave console gaming to the big 3.
THE RUMOR: Gears of War Kinect will be either a rail shooter or a sports game
THE SOURCE: The Escapist
MY TAKE: Remember that rumor a while ago about Gears of War 3 being Kinect compatible? Well Cliffy B himself shot those down pretty damn quick but lo and behold they’re back again, just not dealing with Gears 3. According to the new rumor a Gears of War spinoff title is in the works and people are speculating it will be either a rail shooter like Dead Space: Extraction or a “fatality-laden, COG-versus-Locust Thrashball spin-off in the vein of Mutant Football League.” It’s a pretty interesting concept for a “hardcore” Kinect title, using a recognizable franchise to push hardcore gamers towards buying a Kinect sensor, but does the Gears franchise really mesh into the on rail mould or even the sports game mode?
THE VERDICT: KILL IT!!!
When looking at spin-off titles like this you have to think about how it fits into that franchise. It’s not like the family friendly Mario; who could find his way into a knitting simulator and he wouldn’t look out of place. Gears of War’s big gameplay hooks are the cover based shooting and the chainsaw bayonet. Now the chainsaw could easily be implemented into both ideas and would be fun to simulate with Kinect but the cover based shooting, like I wrote before, would be hard to implement into motion controls. Then there’s also the issue of playing football with the Locust which is borderline ludicrous even for Gears. If Microsoft wants to create a game “in the vein of Mutant Football League” they should just remake Mutant Football League for Kinect . Therefore if I were to pick one I think the on rail shooter would be more likely to become a Kinect spinoff but I don’t think either of these ideas have any legs.
THE FINAL SAY
This week my final say is regarding an ambitious project that I really, REALLY hope becomes a reality. Jeff Strain, co-founder of AreaNet, has created his own studio called Undead Labs. It’s mission? To create a zombie survival MMO for the PC and Xbox 360!!! That sounds so god damn awesome my mind can barely comprehend. Now, the interesting part (as if a zombie survival MMO isn’t interesting enough)is the way they’re going about creating it. Instead of jumping right into creating the massive world of an MMO, the studio is creating an open world zombie survival game for the XBLA that will be a prequel to the MMO. The game will be a early beta of sort, allowing the developers to create a base for the elements (gameplay, atmosphere etc) and player feedback will help fine tune the experience when they release their MMO. It’s an ambitious project with tons of potential and I really hope they get it right because a zombie apocalypse is the perfect setting for a survival MMO. If you’re like me and dying to know more check out the link above and give your support!
That puts an end to another chocolate giving, heart warming edition of VideoGameHenchmen's Rumor Has It! I Hope this juicy bit of gossip is enough to chew on until we come back again with more gaming rumors!
F*cking Aces, dark tower game, fricking sweet (what are the rules for swearing in comments on here? i mean you swear in your videos so whats the deal yo?)
Anyway yes i heard rumors back prior to the end of Lost that J.J. Abrams was billed to be turning it in to a TV series, his style would certainly fit… But here’s the kicker… Most of the things he does have fantastic ARG (Augmented Reality Game) accompaniment to them, (as did Stephen Kings latest, non dark tower, book and a game for the new dark tower book see also or google: “Discordia”) And as we have seen with David Cage (Heavy Rain) film makers can make exceptional games, now wouldn’t it just be F*CKING AWESOME to see The Dark Tower game be something more than just a shooter? something that actually puzzles and intrigues, not bereft of action of course but focused on the questions and unknowns of Mid-world…
So here’s to an ARG action puzzle shooter RPG point and click adventure concoction directed by J.J. Abrams written by Stephen King…
My hopes are going to be so shattered aren’t they :(
I’m pretty sure you can lay down the dirty language, just make it epic, don’t just cuss with every breath like killzone 2 XD. Of course thats just my opinion.
But back on topic
I’d be happy with a Dark Tower movie, show, or video game, either one of those would be awesome.
And when I say it would make me happy, I mean that if either of those Dark Tower related things happen, I mean I’m going to dive into the ocean, wrassle about five dolphins together and put them in a swimming pool filled with salt water and starve them until they eat each other for sustenance. Then I’m going to get into the pool and have a death-match with the one remaining dolphin and when I win (which I will) I’ll get blood-drunk on dolphin blood and take a bloody piss on every doorstep in my neighborhood.
See? not one cuss word (unless bloody piss offends you XD).
“A Dark Tower game is in the works”
I’m the third kind of person reading this: No, no, no, no, no. I love the books and am already sceptical as it is about it as a movie trilogy (film rights bought by JJ Abrams for $19). It definitely could work but I’m worried about how far it will stray away from the source material or how much it will cut just to make it work as a film.
However, I really don’t see how it’s going to work as a game when it is so plot heavy and specific. The fact it is most likely a movie tie-in game also makes me worried they may heavily commercialise the film trilogy into some Hollywood high octane action film instead of a more ‘epic journey’ film.
King describes the Dark Tower as ‘his’ LOTR. Those movies were good but I’m afraid JJ Abrams is going to make it into a Star Trek or Cloverfield, I hated Cloverfield and Star Trek may have been entertaining but it hardly had any depth to it.
JJ Abrams and his team dropped the Dark Tower project because it was too complicated/too intimidating for them. It’s been picked up by Ron Howard and his team. Javier Bardem has apparently (not official yet) been offered the role of Roland.
That said, I’m terrified of a Dark Tower game, ESPECIALLY if it’s a shooter of any kind. Those who’ve read the series know how little of the action and drama is actual gunfighting. It’s a universe that needs to be much, much more story driven than a shooter game can possibly deliver without an INSANE amount of editing.
I really hope the Dark Tower game rumor turns out to be true. The book has a very rich scenery that would be fit for any kind of game.
Sadly it has a good chance of being a movie tie-in which is not exactly the best news. I hope the movie/series turn out to be good at least.
That news is actually more pleasing to hear. I have more faith in Ron Howard to do it right and casting Javier Bardem seems like a good start, as he seems to fit the part and he’s a pretty good actor.