The Good, The Bad and The Ugly 06.08.09: Halo: Reach Coming in 2010, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Borderlands Info and More!

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 06.08.2009

Plus 3 new Dragon Ball games, Metal Gear Solid coming to PSN, Perfect Dark coming to XBLA and more!

Welcome to the Post-E3 edition of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly News Report. I am your host Armando Rodriguez and this are your news! E3 was massive and I think it filled everyone's expectations. I think all 3 consoles and both handhelds came out looking good and the future looks bright for gamers of all ages. Time to hit the top news!

Biggest News of the Week: Activision Sues Over Brutal Legend!

This week's Electronic Entertainment Expo was supposed to be a sort of coming-out party for Double Fine Productions' Brutal Legend. The game is set to complete its rocky road to release with an October launch, and publisher Electronic Arts has been promoting it heavily at the show. It dedicated a portion of its press conference to the game and plastered a massive Brutal Legend banner over the front of the Los Angeles Convention Center's South Hall.

Activision is looking to crash that party. The Associated Press reports that the Tony Hawk publisher filed suit against Double Fine in a Santa Monica court yesterday to prevent the game's release. According to the news service, Activision is claiming it still has the rights to release Brutal Legend, even though the game was among a slew of titles dropped by the publisher last year in the wake of its merger with Vivendi Games. The publisher also noted that it had invested roughly $15 million in Brutal Legend, according to the report.

The lawsuit isn't entirely surprising. Activision had threatened such a move in February, according to a report in Variety. At the time, an unnamed EA source told the trade magazine, "We doubt that Activision would try to sue. That would be like a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy."

Representatives with Activision and Electronic Arts had not returned requests for comment as of press time.

[UPDATE]: Double Fine president Tim Schafer passed the following comment on to GameSpot: "Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it. Oh great, now Beyonce is going to sue me too."
Credit: Gamespot.com

We might have to wait a while longer to rock with this guy

UGLY: I believe that Activision felt that Brutal Legend was going to be a failure and that's why they dropped it in the first place. But after it was picked up by another publisher and it started to generate buzz they had a change of heart. They realized that the game had potential, that people where interested in it and that it would sell. Now they want it back. Well Activision, it doesn't work out that way. I think this is a waste of time and judges will favor EA because I don't understand how you can drop a game and then say that you retained the rights to publish it. That's like divorcing your wife and then saying that you retained the rights to re-marry her once she starts dating someone half your age. What the hell? The UGLY thing about it is that this will likely cause a delay in the game's release date *which pisses me off since I really want this game* while Activision and EA settle it in court. I just hope EA goes as far as it needs to and doesn't settle out of court for any amount of money because as much as EA gets treated like "The Evil Empire" they are actually in the right on this one.

Final Fantasy XIV Confirmed for PS3, PC

Earlier today at Sony's E3 media briefing, the console giant dropped the bomb that Final Fantasy XIV would arrive next year as a "PlayStation 3 console exclusive." Square Enix followed up on that today by confirming that the massively multiplayer online role-playing game would also be appearing on the PC.

Both versions of the game are set for a simultaneous worldwide release sometime in 2010. Additionally, the game will support four different languages at launch: Japanese, English, German, and French. Beyond that, the only detail imparted by the publisher was that the game would take place in the realm of Eorzea.

Final Fantasy XIV will be the second installment in the long-running role-playing game to take on the MMORPG genre. The first such game, Final Fantasy XI, debuted on the PC in 2003 and found its way to the PlayStation 2 the next year. An Xbox 360 edition followed in 2006. In a unique twist, the game allowed players from all three platforms to play together in the same gameworld.
Credit: Gamespot.com


GOOD: Talk about a show-stealing announcement. When Sony said Final Fantasy XIV people where shocked. I mean, XII isn't even out yet. As much as I dislike MMORPG's I think that if managed right this could be a system seller. I think that the reason it would work better on PS3 is that the online service is free. I mention this because Square is likely going to charge a monthly fee for this game and on the 360 people who already pay for Xbox Live will also need to pay an additional fee for the game, which is not nice. I hate pay-to-play titles, but they do have a market, so I will shut up now and move on.

Borderlands Coming In October

In March 2008, a rude surprise was dropped on gamers looking forward to Borderlands, the ambitious open-world, postapocalyptic driving/shooting game from developer Gearbox Software. As part of a lackluster earnings report, Take-Two Interactive--which is publishing the game under its 2K Games label--announced that the game had been pushed back to sometime during the company's 2009 fiscal year.

Now, GameSpot has confirmed that the game will make its aforementioned launch window--but only just. During a preview session today, Gearbox staff writer Mikey Neumann said that the game will "ship this October." Take-Two's 2009 fiscal year--which Red Dead Redemption and Mafia II were just pushed out of--ends on October 31.

Described as an RPS (role-playing shooter) by Gearbox, Borderlands is a sci-fi action RPG that combines driving and on-foot action. Set on the desolate and hostile world of Pandora, the game sees groups of treasure seekers--known as "Vault Hunters""--who scour the ruins of a collapsed civilization for more than 500,000 unique weapons. Using combat vehicles, the rival bands fight each other in an attempt to secure the ultimate prize: an all-powerful alien artifact.

The brand-new trailer for the game, which shows off its revamped, semi-cel-shaded graphics, is below.
Credit: Gamespot.com

GOOD: It's about time! I am very excited about this game and knowing when it is finally coming is great news. I am not a big fan of the new art style *cel-shaded is overrated* but I said the same thing about Street Fighter IV and I ended up loving that game. This game looks like half Mad Max, half Fallout and that has me very excited.

Metal Gear Solid Coming to PSN June 18

Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII and EA's Medal of Honor aren't the only sought-after original PlayStation games to be announced for a rebirth on the PlayStation Network this week. Konami said today that it will be bringing Konami and Hideo Kojima's classic Metal Gear Solid to the PlayStation Network on June 18. The downloadable game will be available for $9.99.

Billed as "the originator of the stealth-action genre" by Konami, Metal Gear Solid drops players into the light-stepping shoes of Solid Snake. As detailed in GameSpot's review of the original Metal Gear Solid from 1998, the retired soldier known as Solid Snake is tasked with bringing down Fox Hound, a genetically enhanced unit of supersoldiers who have acquired a nuclear weapon.
Credit: Gamespot.com

Coming Soon to PSN!

GOOD: MSG is a true classic and deserves to be released as a PS1 Classic. With MSG, Medal of Honor and Final Fantasy VII getting re-released in the PSN I am filled with hope that the service will finally take off and offer lots of great classic games. As for the $9.99 price tag I am willing to pay that for great games *But NOT for every game* so they better stick to the $4.99 price for other titles. I can think of dozens of titles I would like to play again and if Sony is smart they will continue to offer new games every week.

Halo: Reach Coming in 2010

For Halo fans, the high point of Microsoft's E3 Press Conference on Tuesday was the announcement of Halo Reach, an all-new game from Bungie Studios. Staffers from the now-independent developer said that the game had been a top-secret project for some time and that it would arrive sometime in 2010.

Though Bungie did not divulge any further details at the time, many followers of the Halo series assumed that it would be based on the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach, a prequel to the game trilogy. The brief trailer (below) seemed to mimic the Eric Nylund-penned book's plot, which follows the brutal conquest of the UNSC fortress world by the multiracial religious-fanatic alliance known as the Covenant. Its final title card, "Falls 2010" (emphasis added), seemed further indication that it would re-create Fall of Reach's vicious and bleak storyline.

Now it appears that the trailer's final words were actually a hint about the game's release date. During a Halo 3: ODST demo on GameSpot's stage show on the E3 show floor, Bungie staffers took a viewer question about when the multiplayer beta for the game--set to begin sometime in 2010--would start. Their response confirmed the game itself would stick to the September to November launch window of prior Halo games.

"We don't have an actual firm date for it yet, but I don't anticipate it being day and date with the game," one Bungie staffer said. "I can say you will need the Halo 3: ODST disc to access the beta when it does become available. I can confirm that that beta will go live sometime between the release of Halo 3: ODST on September 22 and the release of Halo: Reach next fall."
Credit: Gamespot.com

The next Halo will be based on this book?

GOOD: I like Bungie's continuing effort to fill the blanks in the Halo mythology. Although I am yet to read the book, it has garnered positive reviews and the story sure looks like it can translate itself into a good video game. I wonder if Master Chief plays a part in it *people who read the book, tell me!* and how will Halo fans react if that is not the case. Still, I am really intrigued about the whole thing and I can't wait to get more details.

New Fallout 3 DLC Detailed

Bethesda Softworks will get another chance at a smooth downloadable content launch for Fallout 3 later this month: the publisher of the open-world postapocalyptic role-playing game has confirmed a June 23 release for Point Lookout on the Xbox 360 and PC. A PlayStation 3 edition will follow, once Sony's console begins receiving the expansions on a staggered schedule later this month

Point Lookout will take players to a new corner of the Fallout world, a sprawling swampland populated with new mutants, allies, and weapons. Even though Point Lookout won't raise the game's level cap, it is intended to be significantly challenging even for high-level players. As a reward, players will be granted new perks for completing some of the expansion's new quests.

Point Lookout won't be the last addition to the Fallout world. A fifth, alien-abduction-themed DLC pack, Mothership Zeta, was announced with a late July time frame. For gamers who have yet to embrace digital distribution, all five content add-ons will be included in the retail release of Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition, due out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in October.
Credit: Gamespot.com

GOOD: I have yet to play Fallout 3 *Shame on me!* but I am definitively spending some money in the Game of the Year Edition that is coming in October. The fact that it includes all five DLC's for (hopefully) the same $60 price tag makes it the definitive version to get. As for the new DLC, I know a lot of people will complain about the fact that it does not raise the level cap, but not every expansion has to do that. As long as it provides a challenging, entertaining experience for gamers I am all for it. By the looks of it the environments are different and so will the enemies, plus it will add new weapons and perks.

Namco Bandai Prepares 3 Dragon Ball Titles

Namco Bandai today announced that it would be hitting the Dragon Ball franchise hard and heavy, revealing three new games based on Akira Toriyama's heralded anime. The first, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast, will see release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo will be available exclusively for the Wii, and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans will head to the DS. All three games are due this fall.


A fighter in the vein of Atari's Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast features more than 70 fighters, though Namco Bandai notes that the figure includes fighter "transformations." Fighters will be drawn from the Dragon Ball Z universe, with characters facing off to reenact various moments in the series. Namco Bandai also said that players will be able to "experience alternate universe moments that were left out of the original anime and manga series."

Namco Bandai promises interactive and fully destructible environments as well as high-definition visuals in Raging Blast. Special moves seen in the TV and print series will also be re-created for the game, with developer Spike also adding a new special attack system that lends an increased element of verticality to the battles. Players will be able to control Z-Warriors and their antagonists.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for the Wii is an action adventure game that follows Goku during his formative years, what Namco Bandai calls a first on home consoles. The game will be set during Goku's Red Ribbon encounters, according to the publisher, as the aspiring martial-arts master builds his strength battling against a variety of enemies, meeting a number of iconic Dragon Ball characters such as Emperor Pilaf, King Piccolo, and the Red Ribbon Army.

Lastly, Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans for the DS takes on the turn-based strategy genre, another first for the franchise, Namco Bandai claims. Attack of the Saiyans lets players flesh out their three-fighter squad with a number of Z-Warriors, including Goku, Kid Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien.
Credit: Gamespot.com


GOOD/BAD: I am a huge DBZ fan. That said, I think the franchise needs a rest. The last DBZ title for PS3 was pretty lame, it was too simplistic and it got boring quickly. To me, the series peaked with Budokai 3 (not the Tenkaichi one) and has gotten progressively worse ever since. It doesn't help that since the series is no longer running we get to fight the same battles with the same characters all the time. That is why I am not excited about Raging Blast. However, I think the Wii and DS games can be good if only because they are different from the standard fighting game. In Japan during the 16-bit days, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z got multiple games in multiple genres including action/adventure and RPG and I would love to see some of that in the new generation of consoles instead of the same tired fighting game that they have run into the ground.

Perfect Dark coming to XBLA

Rare's Perfect Dark was as close as it comes to gaming perfection when it was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. Unfortunately, though, the game has yet to see a rerelease on current-generation platforms.

That will soon change, however, as Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb revealed through his Twitter feed that Perfect Dark will be added to the Xbox 360's online network this winter. The game will apparently receive a face-lift, as Hryb also confirmed that the game's graphics have been scaled up to 1080p. Nearly maxing out his 140 character maximum, Hryb also said that a free Perfect Dark Xbox Live theme will be available tomorrow.
Credit: Gamespot.com

It is finally coming to XBLA!

GOOD: As a Nintendo 64 owner I have to tell you that Perfect Dark is one of the best shooters ever made. Yes, the game has aged quite a bit and seems stripped down when compared to modern FPS titles, but gameplay wise it stands the test of time. With a graphics overhaul *And maybe online multiplayer? Come on Rare!* this game is a must get when it comes out.



Once more there are no USELESS news this week, so we will move directly into The Reader's Voice.

The Reader's Voice:

Last week we asked:What is your most anticipated game of 2009?

Our winner this week is Batman: Arkham Asylum. Seriously, Batman was mentioned by practically everyone, so it better deliver!

Top Responses:

Dogpound7382: "Batman: Arkham Asylum"..its going to be a great game

xLx:Batman. As a 90s kid who grew up with the cartoon show, having mark Hamil as the joker and the legit voice actress for Harley Quinn how could you not?

BBM:Gotta go with Batman:AA ... but also Bioshock 2 and Uncharted 2.


Now it is my turn. My most anticipated game of 2009 was Batman until a few days ago. I purchased InFamous and got access to the Uncharted 2 beta. Man, that game is awesome. I loved the first one and the second one is going to be even better. Maybe I lost some faith in Batman because of the delays and the fact that people are loving it so much without actually playing it…I believe this will set the game up to disappoint. We are so hyped about it that if it's not an instant classic we will feel cheated, disappointed, pissed off and many more things, none of them nice. I do hope Batman turns out as good as we all hope it is going to be, but I am going with the safe pick here and choosing Uncharted 2 as my most anticipated game of 2009.

Now on to this week's question:

In your own opinion: Who was E3's biggest winner?

Once again the top answers will be a part of next week's edition of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly News Report.

Goodbye:

Until next time folks! Remember to bookmark us and follow us on Twitter. This week, a 411mania All-Star Team of Ashish, Larry Csonka, Ramon Aranda, Todd Vote and Mark Salmela will go toe to toe with The Penguins of Madagascar and King Julien in a game of ice hockey! But only if enough people bookmark us!