This week, we have big new game announcements and release date revelations for big games.
TOP STORY: God of War: Ascension revealed
Rumored for months, Sony finally announced the next title in the God of War franchise. Dubbed Ascension, it will be an origin story for Kratos, following him as he takes his first steps toward the events we know him for. Despite rumors of a multiplayer mode, Sony’s product page for it states it will be single-player only. It is set for an early 2013 release.
Halo 4 arrives this November
Microsoft apparently doesn’t want any U.S. Halo fans to vote this year, as it announced the release date for Halo 4 will be November 6, also known as Election Day. As the first game in the series from new developer 343 Industries, it has high expectations. The little bit of story we know: it will take place four years after the events of Halo 3, and introduce an ‘ancient evil’ intent on destroying the universe.
Crysis 3 is on its way
EA revealed this week that Crysis 3 is under development and would arrive next spring. The game’s main character, Prophet, will enter 2047 New York, now an urban jungle hidden under a massive dome. While on a quest for retribution against the Cell Corporation, Prophet will explore the seven dangerous districts of New York with his nanosuit and a composite bow.
New New Super Mario Bros. headed to 3DS in August
This August, Nintendo will be releasing the next Mario game for the 3DS, New Super Mario Bros. 2. A direct sequel to the DS game, it will bring with it the return of Raccoon Mario. It looks to be a worldwide simultaneous release, which isn’t much of a surprise given the minimal localization needed.
Nintendo to celebrate Kirby’s 20th birthday
This year, Kirby will turn 20 years old. To celebrate, Nintendo is planning to take gamers on a nostalgic tour of Kirby’s past by releasing a collection of classic Kirby games on the Wii. We don’t know which games they’ll choose, but it’s nice to know Kirby is continuing to be a front-line franchise for Nintendo.
Dragon’s Crown pushed back to 2013
Atlus announced this week that it was picking up publishing duties for Dragon’s Crown, the side-scrolling hack-and-slash title from the hand-drawn wizards at Vanillaware. The PS3/Vita game, originally planned for localization by Ignition, has been pushed back to 2013 due to quality concerns. Also, for those hoping that $29.99 price the game was erroneously listed at earlier would be a reality, don’t count on it: Atlus’ Aram Jabbari calls that a “logistical impossibility.”
