The Good, The Bad and The Ugly News Report 07.13.09 New Guitar Hero 5 Tracks, UFC Undisputed 2009 Patch Details, Command & Conquer 4 Coming Next Year And More!
Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 07.13.2009
Plus, MechWarrior reboot, Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall now free and another edition of The Random Rant!
Hello my loyal readers and welcome to another edition of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly News Report. I am your extremely handsome host Armando Rodriguez, ready to bring you this week's top news items. I usually open up this report with a brief summary of whatever I was playing/doing during the past week, but the truth is I have been so busy with my summer class that I didn't have much time to do anything. Outside of a few games of MLB 09: The Show and a few plays of Trash Panic (in which I sucked) I haven't played much. I did went to see Ice Age 3: Dawn of Dinosaurs this past Friday with my girlfriend and we both felt the movie was funny and an entertaining time-waster, but it is by far the worse of the three. I found the story to be a bit cliché and the characters of Manny and Ellie in particular where very dull. As it turns out, most of the scenes in which they appear aren't funny at all. The same goes for Diego, although to be fair the story centered on Sid and he delivered in spades.
Now enough about me and let's get started with the news!
Biggest News of the Week: Guitar Hero 5 Set List Partially Revealed
Activision continues to reveal songs that will be featured in the next numbered installment of the Guitar Hero series. Here are the tracks revealed this week:
ARTIST- SONG
Band of Horses--"Cigarettes, Wedding Bands"
Beastie Boys--"Gratitude"
Beck--"Gamma Ray"
Billy Squier--"Lonely is the Night"
Blur--"Song 2"
Children of Bodom--"Done With Everything, Die for Nothing"
Coldplay--"In My Place"
Darkest Hour--"Demon(s)"
David Bowie--"Fame"
Deep Purple--"Woman from Tokyo ('99 Remix)"
Elliott Smith--"L.A."
Iggy Pop--"Lust for Life (Live)"
Jeff Beck--"Scatterbrain (Live)"
John Mellencamp--"Hurts So Good"
Queens Of The Stone Age--"Make It Wit Chu"
Rose Hill Drive--"Sneak Out"
Santana--"No One to Depend on (Live)"
The Bronx--"Six Days a Week"
Thrice--"Deadbolt"
Vampire Weekend--"A-Punk"
They joined the previously announced songs:
The Rolling Stones--"Sympathy for the Devil"
Bob Dylan--"All Along the Watchtower"
The White Stripes--"Blue Orchid"
Tom Petty--"Runnin' Down a Dream"
Johnny Cash--"Ring of Fire"
Kings of Leon--"Sex on Fire"
Wolfmother--"Back Round"
[Credit: Gamespot.com]
GOOD: I have a feeling they are holding back on the big announcements, but this partial reveal is not bad at all. I am more excited for Jeff Beck and Santana than for anything else here (outside of the previously announced songs) although I also enjoy Deep Purple and Queens of The Stone Age. Still, I feel the set list needs a couple more big names before I commit to purchase the game.
UFC Undisputed 2009 Finally Getting Patched!
After reading this bit of news I feel really dumb for trading my copy of the game out if frustration. THQ is working on a patch that will fix *ALL* the game breaking issues I detailed on my REVIEW of the game. First of all, they are fixing the issue with people quitting online. Now people who do this will receive a loss and also a "Did Not Finish", which will allow other players to identify quitters and avoid playing them. Getting a DNF will also reset that particular player's winning streak to zero.
Second of all, they are fixing the frequency of flash knockouts and the difficulty of making the CPU submit in single player games.
Third of all, the patch will also prevent created fighters with tampered statistics (cheaters) to compete online.
Finally, the patch will also fix a Playstation 3-specific bug that caused the game to freeze during auto-save.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]
GOOD: Wow! Not only do I feel dumb for trading in my copy, but now I would love to play it again after the patch and see how my review scores change. Online quitting, too many flash knockouts and the difficulty of submitting the CPU where the things that frustrated me with the game and greatly affected my final score. Great job THQ! They have showed real commitment to the game by fixing the issues now instead of waiting for the sequel. Now, who wants to sell me their used copy?
Singularity Delayed Until 2010
It what can only be viewed as a wise decision, Activision has moved the release date of their sci-fi First-Person Shooter Singularity from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010. The reason, according to an Activision spokesperson, is to stop the game from competing directly with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[Credit: Gamespot.com]
GOOD: Wow! You mean, publishers actually think? This was a great business decision. Modern Warfare 2 will sell millions of copies and will cause new IP's to get lost in the shuffle. By moving the release date of Singularity to a less crowded period it will give the title an opportunity to capture the attention of buyers and sell a bit more than it would have otherwise.
Get Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall For Free
A PC classic is now free! Bethesda Softworks has released the classic RPG Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall for free on their website to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of The Elder Scrolls. Although the game is a bit old to run on modern computers naturally, it can be run on modern computers with the use of the DOSBox program. Bethesda also provides a FREE download of the original Elder Scrolls title, Elder Scrolls: Arena on their website and the game can also be played on modern computers with DOSBox.
GOOD: I have played Arena, Morrowind and Oblivion, but never had the chance to play Daggerfall and that's something I plan on doing right away. I hope other game developers would release classic games for free to celebrate new entries and such, since I think this is a great marketing tool. Everything I have read about Daggerfall is positive and seems to compare favorably to newer entries in the series, so I suggest RPG fans give this one a try.
Release Dates Set For Summer Of Arcade Lineup
Here are the release dates for the titles that will be part of the Xbox 360's Summer of Arcade Lineup this year:
July 22: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
GOOD This is perhaps the best lineup of upcoming downloadable games I have ever seen. We have the 3D enhanced remake of Turtles in Time that looks absolutely fantastic. We have Marvel vs Capcom 2 that, in spite of not getting the HD Remix treatment, is a fantastic game on its own right and online play will make it even better. I have heard lots of good stuff about Splosion Man, including from our own 411mania writers and I really want to see how well that one turns out. Shadow Complex has been hyped a lot as well and Trials HD should be good. I have Trials 2 on my PC and I have found it fun, challenging and different from other bike games out there. If you own a 360 it will be a few busy weeks with some really good titles.
MechWarrior Coming to Xbox 360 and PC
I am starting to get jealous. Now the 360 is getting a brand new MechWarrior at some point in the near future. Game company Smith & Tinker, in collaboration with Piranha Games, are working on the next installment of the franchise for the Xbox 360 and PC. Although they don't have a publisher for the title as of today, they are in negotiations with multiple publishers. The company has been working on the game for six months and it will be a reboot of the classic franchise.
To celebrate the new title, Smith & Tinker will be releasing MechWarrior 4 and its multiple expansion packs as a free download on BattleTech.com on a future date.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]
GOOD: MechWarrior 2 was the game that introduced me to online play and joining clans, so it has a special place in my heart. I am eager to see what Smith & Tinker does with the franchise now that we have very powerful consoles and more people playing online than ever before. Alas, I am saddened to report that apparently PS3 gamers will be left out on this title.
Command & Conquer 4 Officially Revealed
Although the cat was let out of the bag a few weeks ago on a customer survey, EA officially confirmed Command & Conquer 4 this past week via a Twitter post. Command & Conquer 4 will be the final chapter in the "Tiberium" storyline that started with the original Command & Conquer in 1995. Confirmed features for the game includes mobile bases, a class system not unlike those in RPG's and a persistent experience similar to MMORPG's.
The storyline will center on the original factions, the evil Brotherhood of Nod and the Global Defense Initiative, joining forces to fend off a common foe. The game will take place in the year 2062 and will reveal the final plans of Kane.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]
GOOD: Another classic franchise gets a new game and this one looks like the series finale, at least as far as the Brotherhood of Nod and Global Defense Initiative are concerned. To be honest I have never played another C & C since the original, so I am a bit lost on what is going on, but I am sure fans will love it. I am intrigued about the "persistent online experience" and maybe this feature (whatever it turns out to be) is a hint on what is next for the franchise after C & C 4.
The Random Rant
During the past few weeks I have gone through my collection of Bruce Lee movies a couple of times. Lee might not have been the best actor, but he was one hell of a fighter and choreographer. Those movies are awesome! That got me thinking about a Bruce Lee game. I remember Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. It was a nightmare! Horrible from beginning to end! The fights failed miserably in their attempt to capture the essence of Bruce Lee with their repetitive nature and ugly graphics. However, I believe that there is a lot of material in Bruce Lee's movies to make an awesome beat-em-up game. The traditional beat-em-up is practically a thing of the past, replaced by 3D action/adventure titles with beat-em-up elements like God of War and Conan. Why?
I grew up playing beat-em-up titles in the late 80's and early 90's. Double Dragon, Final Fight, The Simpsons Arcade Game, the Ninja Turtles games, Battletoads, Streets of Rage and so many other great titles all came out during that time. It was a simple, successful formula: Go from left to right kicking butts! Judging by the reception the Streets of Rage series and Comix Zone got at my house when I bought Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (every friend I have wanted a crack at those titles!) there is plenty of mileage left in the tank for this genre. So why is it that we can't get traditional beat-em-up games on modern consoles? I remember a game called Fighting Force for Nintendo 64. It was not the best game and had a few broken down mechanics, but it kept the spirit of the beat-em-up genre alive and I always believed it was the beginning of a resurrection for the genre. However, after that title I can't remember a single beat-em-up game showing up on that system or any of its contemporaries.
Sometimes developers get so excited about the hot new technology (3D, First-Person Shooters, Music games that require plastic instruments) that they forget the genres that paved the way (2D platformers, beat-em-ups, space shooters) and abandon them. So this rant is a way for me to express my dissatisfaction at the lack of beat-em-ups in modern consoles and perhaps a way to remind developers that there is always another option when it comes to making games other than the same tired 3D action title or first person shooter.
Now I am going to continue my daydreams of a beat-em-up with Bruce Lee kicking thugs in Tokyo, having an epic showdown with Chuck Norris and killing the man with the replaceable hands in the hall of mirrors.
The Reader's Voice
Last Week We Asked: If Sony Dropped The PS3's Price, Would You Buy One?
Ladies and gentlemen, my attempt at market research was a complete success! 100% of the voters agreed to purchase a Playstation 3 if Sony dropped the price. Of course, the only person that voted was our own Todd Vote but his vote (no pun intended) proved me right!
I do appreciate your comments from last week regarding Valkyria Chronicles and also about my comments on the EA MMA vs UFC issue.
Now on to this week's question and I hope we get more comments this week:
This Week's Question: Which Brand New IP Will Be The Most Successful?
Once again this is a matter of personal opinion, but of all the new Intellectual Properties that have been created this year (that means no sequels, spin-offs or tie-ins with books or movies) will be the most successful? The top answers will be a part of next week's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Goodbye:
The following is a public service announcement courtesy of the B3yond Team:
BUY TARGET TERROR!
What? Hey, a guy has expenses to cover, so I sold a little space of my report to the B3yond Team. I tried to resist the urge, but after being tied up in Mark's basement and forced to play Shaq-Fu with Shaqy over and over again for six straight hours, I felt his offer of 3 peanuts, an empty can of Dr. Pepper and a 3-day old turkey sandwich was reasonable. Until next week!
