This week we watch our panelists’ scores plummet while discussing HD remakes and yet another appearance by the 3DS.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +355

Graham Russell: +134

Eric Schabel: +65

Shawn Vermette: +210

 

Results

Duke Nukem Forever returns

Duke is indeed returning, as Take Two announced recently that Gearbox, the studio behind Brothers in Arms and Borderlands, was taking the reins of the Duke Nukem franchise. There’s no news on how much of the game will be based on the original work by 3D Realms, but no matter how you slice it, Duke Nukem Forever is alive again.

Andrew 80% = +30

Graham 50% = +0

Shawn 65% = +15

 

3DS release date and price to be announced by TGS

The Tokyo Game Show came and went with no mention of the official 3DS release date or price. The good news is that we won’t have to wait much longer, as Nintendo has announced they’ll tell us the release date, among other items, on September 29th.

Andrew 10% = +40

Eric 55% = -5

Graham 85% = -35

Shawn 90% = -40

 

Xbox Live Gold price hike

This rumor has been fermenting for a long time now, but we’ve finally gotten word of its confirmation. Unfortunately for Xbox 360 owners, Microsoft has announced that starting on November 1, the price for monthly, quarterly, and yearly memberships will increase across the board. Monthly memberships will now cost $9.99 rather than $7.99, quarterly will now cost $24.99 rather than $19.99, and yearly will now be $59.99 instead of $49.99.

Andrew 65% = +15

Graham 5% = -45

Shawn 15% = -35

 

Odin Sphere, Muramasa to be rereleased on XBLA and PSN

Odin Sphere is widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful PlayStation 2 games ever made, and Muramasa was similarly lauded on Wii. Now, rumor has it that both will look even better soon, upgraded with HD graphics and prepped for release on PSN and XBLA. No word yet from Vanillaware regarding this rumor, but the Australian ratings board now lists both as being multiplatform.

Andrew: I can see both Odin Sphere and Muramasa selling rather well as downloadable titles; both games lend themselves well to that format. Side-scrollers in general seem to be a perfect fit as downloadable titles, and I think it will give Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners a chance to catch up on two games they may have missed. Muramasa especially, considering it was a Wii exclusive title.  Odin Sphere: 85%, Muramasa: 85%

Graham: Foreign ratings boards are a godsend for leaking things, aren’t they? And they’re usually right. I’d say Odin Sphere is slightly more likely to release for two reasons: first, it hasn’t had a modern system release like Muramasa on Wii. Second, it would likely be the first to release, and poor sales or other concerns could see the project tabled before a second release.  Odin Sphere: 90%, Muramasa: 85%

Shawn: These are games I’ve heard a lot about but never got a chance to play. Considering the large amount of sales ports of older games seem to rack up, I think it makes sense to rerelease them on XBLA and PSN too. Odin Sphere: 75%, Muramasa: 65%

 

3DS to be released in November

Well, TGS has come and gone with no confirmation of the launch date for the 3DS, but that hasn’t stopped more rumors from coming up. The newest rumor was started by a Japanese accessory maker’s tweet mentioning a new line of products for Nintendo systems releasing in November. Now, it could be the standard holiday order coming due, but why mention it if it is just the normal order?

Andrew: Both the tweet and the account itself were gone in a matter of hours after the information leaked. I’m going to guess that it will be released by the end of November at least in Japan, and probably here in the States around the same time. I think that release window allows them to get in quite a lot of sales in a short amount of time, like the original DS and Wii before it. But at the same time, these rumors pop up all of the time, so for all we know we won’t see the system out until early next year.  80%

Graham: Yeah, let’s be clear here: the rumor is a November release in Japan. It’s entirely possible that releases elsewhere will be delayed. (Personally, I hope not. Ever since one left my hand at E3, I’ve felt a void in my life. A 3DS-shaped void. And preferably a shiny blue one.) I think the deleted account means it’s more likely to be true, but who even knows at this point? Oh, right. We will before the end of the month. 75% 

Shawn: I think that Nintendo needs to either release it in November of this year or wait until next summer, but then, I didn’t pass my marketing classes so I could be missing something. As far as the rumor is concerned, I think the fact that the Twitter account disappeared, along with the tweet, says something about its veracity. Unfortunately, that doesn’t tell us much about when the 3DS will come to the US. Due to my responses previously on this subject though, I’ve got to say I believe we’ll get it here before Christmas. 70% 

This week we cover the PSP2, Duke Nukem’s return, and Mass Effect.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +270

Graham Russell: +214

Eric Schabel: +70

Shawn Vermette: +270

 

Results

Sony prepping a 500GB PlayStation 3 next

Well, next ended up being the operative word, as Sony used GamesCom to announce 2 new versions of their PlayStation 3 console: a new 160GB version, and a 320GB version. No word on pricing or any further iterations of the console, however; the lack of a 500GB version has rendered this rumor false.

Andrew 50% = +0

Eric 80% = -30

Graham 20% = +30

Shawn 55% = -5

 

PSP2 to have touch controls

So far, Sony’s “PSP2” is still simply a rumor, as they refuse to comment even on its very existence. Despite this, rumors keep circulating regarding its various features. The most recent, and undoubtedly the most interesting, is the rumor that the PSP2 will feature touch-sensitive controls on the back side of its screen for use in controlling games. No word on how this would be implemented or whether a second screen is also in the works, as Sony refuses to comment.

Andrew: If this is true, it’s pretty obvious Sony is still trying to play catch up with Nintendo (or even Apple at this point). But considering that most handheld devices have some kind of touch screen capabilities, I could definitely see whatever the PSP2 actually is having a touch screen. This is of course assuming the PSP2 even exists; I wonder if Sony is still recovering from the failure that was the PSP Go to even bother at this point. It seems pretty likely that it will come out, but I’m still a little skeptical.  70%

Graham: Well, here I go again with the whole “being technical” thing. The PSP2? If something is the successor to the PSP, then it’ll count. And we keep hearing that they’re making a phone. If that’s the case, it’d certainly have a touch screen, and even if it isn’t, it’s still pretty likely that they’d throw that in. They’re the lone holdout. If they never release a successor, this’ll never be resolved. So I’m pretty confident.  80%

Shawn: The interesting thing about this rumor is where the touchpad is located: the back of the system. I’m not sure that sounds plausible, it just sounds awkward and difficult to use if you can’t see what you are trying to manipulate with your fingers. Will the PSP2 have a touch screen? Very likely. Almost all handheld multimedia devices have them now. Will it be on the back of the screen? Sure, why not? This is the company that released the PSPGo for $80 more than the PSP-3000 and then wondered why people weren’t flocking to stores to buy it. 75%

Duke Nukem Forever returns

We thought we’d seen the end of Duke Nukem Forever when 3D Realms shuttered its doors, but rumor has it now that Take Two has handed the reins of the franchise to Borderlands developer Gearbox. The big issue with such a rumor is whether or not Take Two has the right to continue on with the game without 3D Realms.

Andrew: Duke Nukem Forever just needs to come out already. Anyway, I can definitely see this happening, as Gearbox is the best team I think that can handle this project. I think the only people actually interested in this game at this point only care because of the mystery surrounding this game, not because of the game itself. Either way, if any team is going to do it, it’s going to be Gearbox. 80%

Graham: If Gearbox really is taking over development, the game will release. That said, there will be almost no content from the original, so it’s not really the same game that lived in development hell for so long. I’m not sure the legal issues will be worked out, so I’m going to punt on this one. 50%

Shawn: Duke Nukem Forever seriously needs to either die or be released already. Yes, I do think it is likely that, assuming Take Two can wrest control of the IP from 3DRealms, they will give it to Gearbox. 65%

 

 

Mass Effect to be ported to PlayStation 3

Fresh off the surprising announcement of Mass Effect 2 being ported to the PlayStation 3, we’ve got rumors regarding the original Mass Effect. Namely, that it too will be ported to the PlayStation 3, either as a standalone title or as a pack-in with Mass Effect 2.

Andrew: I’m not 100% positive on this, but I’m pretty sure that BioWare has confirmed there will be an extensive prologue in the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 that will cover the events of the first game. Whether or not this prologue will provide anything beyond a lengthy cutscene explaining the events of the first game is uncertain, but I don’t see all of the original game coming to the PS3 in any capacity. 10%

Graham: Probably not. My only hesitation: so much of the game’s charm is the effects previous decisions have on future events. What if you skip them completely? A possible solution would be a quick series of cutscenes that let you pick choices from a menu…but that’s just not the same. I can’t see the end being as satisfying, especially when you get through ME3. (That, I’d assume, is definitely releasing on PS3. Just the second in a series would just be weird.) 15% 

Shawn: I’m pretty sure that despite EA’s purchase of BioWare, Microsoft still has the rights to the original Mass Effect. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. However, those rights might simply extend to actually selling Mass Effect on the PlayStation 3. It’s entirely possible EA could integrate the entirety of Mass Effect into ME2, or even give it away for free to ME2 purchasers to get around it. Will they though? I doubt it. I suspect they’ll simply give ME2 a very long, possibly interactive, prologue that covers the salient aspects of the original. 25% 

This week we recognize a new leader in our rankings while discussing Kinect, sequel spam, and DLC.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +270

Graham Russell: +184

Eric Schabel: +100

Shawn Vermette: +275

 

Results

NBA Jam remake coming to Xbox 360 and PS3

EA has announced that a truncated version of NBA Jam will be given away for free to purchasers of NBA Elite 11 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Unfortunately for those who only want NBA Jam, EA says that as of right now, there is no other way to get it on the 360 and PS3.

Andrew 50% = +0

Eric 80% = +30

Graham 60% = +10

Shawn 80% = +30

 

Kinect to recognize American Sign Language

So far we’ve been told that Kinect can track your body and joint movements and recognize your voice and face. Now, there’s a possibility that Kinect will even be able to detect American Sign Language. According to a patent filing, Microsoft plans on making Kinect recognize ASL motions and then verbalize them to those you are playing a with or against online. Will gamers be able to taunt each other with their hands this fall? Or will this be yet another patent filing that never sees the light of day?

Andrew: I really see no reason why it wouldn’t be able to, but at the same time it doesn’t seem like something that will ever really a feature that most (if any) people who bought the device would actually take advantage of.  50%

Graham: It’s capable of it. It seems like it’d have to be implemented individually in each instance, but whether it’s widely used isn’t the issue. I don’t usually stick my neck out, but I’m confident. Yep, it’ll be there.   90%

Eric: This is certainly a neat idea, though obviously American Sign Language would not be utilized by the vast majority of users. The Kinect technology certainly seems capable enough to pull off signing recognition, though, and it could be an interesting teaching tool. That said, I don’t think most gamers would bother to learn the language to sign to their friends when they can just use a headset. 60%

Shawn: I’m sure it’s possible for Kinect to recognize ASL, the question is whether Microsoft thinks there are enough deaf gamers who would use it to bother programming it to do so. On the other hand, Microsoft might go ahead and program it to recognize sign language just to be able to say that it can. 65%

EA prepping another Dead Space title in Dead Space: Sabotage

EA has introduced a great many new franchises in the last couple years, with the most popular being Dead Space. Since its introduction, EA has gone into overdrive expanding the Dead Space universe, having created Dead Space: Extraction, Dead Space: Ignition, and Dead Space 2 in the interactive realm, while releasing Dead Space: Martyr and Dead Space: Salvage as books, and Dead Space: Aftermath and Dead Space: Downfall showing up on DVD. EA recently secured the rights to deadspacesabotage.com, so we’re sure to see it in one form or another, but will it be a game or some other form of entertainment?

Andrew: I really don’t think EA would be giving us yet another game with the downloadable Dead Space 2 “prequel” and Dead Space 2 itself both arriving by the end January. I could see it being another book or film based on the series, or even something different altogether, but I really don’t think it will be another game. 30%

Graham: Consider my neck safely back in. Sabotage could very well be some other property, since they’re not exactly shy about those. Add in the fact that we aren’t even seeing Dead Space 2 until next year, and starting work on another one would be premature. 50%

Eric: I think we will be seeing Dead Space Sabotage show up sooner or later, but I really don’t know if it will be in the form of a video game. However, since games are the most successful medium for the Dead Space franchise, I would guess Sabotage is likely to be a new game title.  75%

Shawn: Dead Space: Sabotage will definitely exist, along with who knows how many other titles…my only question is whether it will be as a game or not. At this point, I am completely unsure because of the large number of tie-in media being produced by EA. So…I think I’ll go with my first throwaway vote yet. 50%

 

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair to add two new playable characters

Even though Castlevania: Harmony of Despair just came out this week, rumors are swirling about possibilities for DLC for it. Among the more interesting is a rumor stating that Maria Renard and Julius Belmont will soon be added via DLC to the already robust stable of playable characters in Harmony of Despair.

Andrew: Considering there are many different playable characters in the Castlevania series, I really don’t see why Konami wouldn’t take advantage of this. I definitely see these two coming out soon and starting a trend that will lead to many more CV favorites ending up in the multiplayer adventure. 95%

Graham:  The return of the neck! Yeah, this’ll happen. We’re a DLC-crazed world now, and playable characters are the kind that even I approve of. With all the hype the game is getting as part of the Summer of Arcade, it would be strange if they weren’t working on something. 90% 

Eric: Sure, why not? Most games are being designed with DLC in mind these days, and I can’t imagine it would be too difficult to prep some new playable characters for Harmony of Despair. I haven’t played the game myself, but I do know that adding new characters is a good way to get players to come back for more (and to spend a little more, too). 80%

Shawn: Konami will definitely add more characters. Launching Harmony of Despair with just 5 characters and a 6 player co-op mode literally begs for more playable characters. Will they be Maria Renard and Julius Belmont? Well…given that I’ve never played a Castlevania game yet I recognize both those characters tell me that they are very likely candidates to be added. 85% 

This week we’re taking the pulse of the game industry with Nintendo’s Vitality Sensor, Respawn’s first title, and another revision of the PS3.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +270

Graham Russell: +174

Eric Schabel: +70

Shawn Vermette: +245

 

Respawn’s first title to be a sci-fi shooter

Little, if anything, is known regarding the project that Respawn pitched to EA when they signed up with the EA Partner program; however, at least one analyst believes that rather than directly take on their own creation, Call of Duty, Respawn will take on the other 800 lb gorilla- Halo.

Andrew: We’ve been hearing rumors about Infinity Ward tackling some kind of sci-fi shooter for a couple of years now. There were rumors about the next Call of Duty game being a futuristic shooter, among other things. But those rumors were all forgotten about as soon as Modern Warfare 2 was announced early last year. Since then, Respawn Entertainment has formed and it is safe to assume that whatever their next project is, it will be something they’ve wanted to work on for a while now.  85%

Graham: I’m punting on this one. Would a sci-fi shooter be a good idea? Sure. EA has a few similar titles in its lineup, though, so they may be wary. Then again, it’s Respawn, and EA would probably take whatever they offered. It certainly won’t be a Call of Duty-like game, since Medal of Honor is on EA’s plate, but if they wanted to make a similar game, that would have made the defection less likely. Could they be going away from the FPS genre completely? But…then why would they name the company Respawn? See, I’m really wishy-washy on this one.   50%

Eric: I think this rumor has a fairly high probability of being true, given the people involved. Sure, there is already a glut of sci-fi shooters on the market, but that certainly hasn’t stopped the genre from continuing to be a best seller. Respawn is a new studio but the talents behind it are proven hit-makers and they are undoubtedly willing to dive into sci-fi if they so choose. 75%

Shawn: As amazing as the talent is at Respawn, I think that, given the current market’s penchant for ignoring new titles in favor of familiar ones, Respawn would be smart to stay away from Call of Duty style games for the time being, until they make themselves a household name yet again. However, with the distinct lack of a really good sci-fi shooter series on the PS3 (No, I don’t consider Killzone to be a great sci-fi series), I think the time is ripe for a company with Respawn’s talents to fill the void with their own sci-fi shooter.  80%

Sony prepping a 500GB PlayStation 3 next

Sony has already gone through 7 hardware revisions in 4 years with the PlayStation 3, but rumor has it that with the release of the Xbox 360 Slim, Sony started work on yet another revision. This time, they plan on releasing a 500GB PlayStation 3 Slim in order to once again claim the title of largest hard drive in a console.

Andrew: We do know about the bundle that is happening with the PS3 console and the Move, but another bundle in the same timeframe? I suppose I see it happening, but I think consumers have been plenty confused by the many, many bundles Sony has put out over the years for the PS3. It’s just difficult to say putting out a new system with a bigger hard drive will really be that advantageous for Sony, but it could still happen. 50%

Graham: That’s a big hard drive for a console. Only the most hardcore power users would need that much space…is there even 500GB worth of downloadable content on PSN? (And is the movie service really that popular?) The kicker here: next. If they announce some other console variation first, this one’s dead. Knowing how schizophrenic their SKU strategy has been, I’ll take my chances.  20%

Eric: As this rumor states, the PS3 has already gone through numerous hardware revisions since its release, so we know Sony is anything but shy about doing it again. I question the necessity of having a 500GB drive at this point in the game, but I suppose if Sony and Microsoft are truly planning to extend the lifetimes of their systems for another four or five years as they say, this upgrade is probably inevitable—it just might take some time. 80%

Shawn: This one is a little tough, just because of the specifics of the size involved. Will Sony release more revisions of the PS3? Absolutely, they’ve averaged 2 changed per year since releasing it! Will the very next change introduce a 500GB hard drive? That, I’m not as sure about. It is the next logical amount to put in a system (other than 320GB, which doesn’t seem worth the change), but when has Sony ever been logical? 55%

 

Nintendo to reveal fate of Vitality Sensor by end of 2010

Nintendo announced the Vitality Sensor to much surprise and confusion at E3 2009, yet it was absent from Nintendo’s E3 2010 conference and booth. Nintendo said at the time that it wasn’t the right time or place to discuss the Vitality Sensor, so now rumor has it they will announce just what the heck they plan to do with it sometime before the end of 2010.

Andrew: I would definitely expect to see something official about it from Nintendo later this year. I believe they do hold another press event sometime around TGS, so then (or at a similar time) would be a good way to confirm or deny whether or not the Vitality Sensor is actually dead or not. But at the same time, I do think Nintendo wouldn’t actually reveal anything about it again until they know they have some software to back it up with.  65%

Graham:  If it’s dead, we won’t hear about it for a while. That’s how Nintendo does things. But Cammie said it’s still in the works at E3, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they hold some silly normal-person event like they’ve done with Wii Fit in Central Park and such. It needs a killer app, though, and if they don’t have one, they need to keep it under wraps. 55% 

Eric: This is a tough one to gauge. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, no one represents unpredictability better in this industry than Nintendo does. If E3 was not the right time to unveil what the Vitality Sensor will actually be used for, I can’t imagine when they do plan to discuss it. In other words, it’s a crap shoot. 55%

Shawn: Didn’t Nintendo sell this to Ubisoft? I could swear I saw it at Ubisoft’s press conference…truthfully, I think Nintendo realizes this hardware is a little far off the beaten path, even for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they buried it and never spoke of it again, unless Ubisoft’s version somehow takes off. 35%