As we inch closer and closer to the huge game releases lined-up for this fall, the buildup seems to be overshadowing other news which is or is not related to these big titles. So let us shed some light on the month that was and give you a run-down on the news which were the talk of the gamer town this August. The big story at the start of the month was Sony’s acquisition of inFamous makers Sucker Punch. Next, the war in the console arena heated up as the PS3 saw a price drop while Nintendo announced a new version of the Wii. The handheld market wasn’t lagging far behind either, as both the PSP E-1000 and the Flame Red 3DS managed to capture our imagination.
The usurpation of Sucker Punch doesn’t really mean a lot to the gaming industry as the developer has been constantly churning out games exclusively for Sony’s consoles. We just hope the studio doesn’t lose its golden touch of producing spectacular games such as inFamous 2 and the likes. Elsewhere, the rapport between EA and Steam was at a jittery stage to say the least. The ‘business terms’ debate refused to die down as after last month’s Crysis 2 incident, the digital platform pulled down Dragon Age II from its service. The problem we’re told lies with the terms and conditions set by Steam upon the distribution of DLCs on the platform. Whatever it is, we hope to see the relationship mend as fast as possible.
Around the same time, there came the news that the PS Vita would release this October. It turned out to be just another rumor and what came to light is that gamers won’t be able to lay their hands on the flashy handheld till next year. But the good news is that, when it does launch, it will have separate apps for social networking. Those of you who have noticed Xbox Live’s Summer of Arcade program will find nothing unique in Sony’s PSN Play program launched this month. Four upcoming action games are offered with discounts and bonuses on all of them. Pre-ordering all of them at once gives you a bonus gift of Payday: The Heist. Now that’s one title we’re definitely looking forward to.
While MMO fans were experiencing the closed beta of the much anticipated Scarlet Legacy, 200 employees from THQ’s Australian offices were laid off. The closing down of two major studios down under was the reason why. Moreover, the developer also announced the abandonment of its MX vs. ATV franchise. On the other hand, Nintendo seemed to be looking for new ways to lure gamers towards its 3DS handheld. If the big price cut wasn’t enough a Flame Red model of the device was announced. The Rock Band franchise got a boost this August as Mad Catz decided to act publisher by declaring that it would re-release the Rock Band 3 this holiday season complete with all its peripherals.
Around mid-August, MotorStorm Apocalypse received an update which made it Move compatible and also provided it with other upgrades. Also, this month, three high-profile games – Gears of War 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Batman: Arkham City were confirmed to be 3D capable. With the commencement of the gamescom in Germany, we were in for some huge surprises from Sony and Nintendo. The new and affordable PSP E-1000 announced by Sony is a no-Wi-Fi device that will retail for just 99.99 Euros. And it didn’t stop at that. The company also shed fifteen percent off the price tag of the PS3 which can now be bought for Rs. 16,990.
Nintendo it seems didn’t want to lag far behind even as it unveiled a newly configured Wii. This rather ‘lazy’ console preferred to sit horizontally than stand upright like its predecessor. Gamers who plan to buy this console can dump their GameCube CDs down the drain as they won’t be supported by it. Around the same time, Sony seemed to be looking to re-explore the PS Home feature on its PSN. A massive revamp is planned for this fall with new genre based ‘districts’ for easy access to gamers. PS Plus members and some other lucky gamers got a sneak peak at one of this year’s many massive releases when the Resistance 3 multiplayer beta went live this August. The game is now gearing up for a September 6 release.
Star Wars fans received a big blow towards the end of the month with the news of a delay in the release of the Kinect Star Wars bundle. Much to their disappointment, the slick bundle will be released no sooner than next year. Meanwhile the much awaited, zombie filled, Rezurrection DLC was launched for Call of Duty: Black Ops. This update was laden with a new map which takes the game’s zombie battles to the moon alongside many other contents. And while Xbox 360 gamers were busy exploring this DLC, Steam was busy returning money to those who had purchased From Dust from their online store. The PC version of the game was facing criticisms from gamers due to its constraint on a constant internet connection. Talking about PC, those sidelined gamers who still prefer to play on their computers were in for a pleasant surprise by Razer. The Blade laptop is the peripheral manufacturer’s first foray into the notebook arena and the device looks promising if not anything else.
As the month draws to a close all we can say is, what’s gone is gone. It’s time to look forward now. Because September has two big releases lined up in the form of Resistance 3 and Dead Island. We’ll keep you posted with all the latest developments.