Ultra Combo News Report 09.21.09: Bioshock 2 Release Date, Fallout 3: GOTY Edition Release Date, Star Ocean Coming to PS3 and More!

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 09.21.2009

Valkyria Chronicles 2 coming next year, Free Realms coming to PS3, Fallout 3 PS3 DLC details and more!



Welcome to another Ultra Combo News Report. I am your host Armando Rodriguez, ready for the usual rundown of gaming goodness. This week I finally got my hands on Batman: Arkham Asylum and I have to say that the game is fantastic, amazing, one of a kind, pure awesome, etc. I don't have enough words to describe how awesome it is and right now it has my vote for Game of the Year. The combat is fantastic, the predator sequences are really cool and the story is so good, they could make an animated movie of it and I would go out and buy it. The voice acting is superb and really immerses you in the story. There has to be a sequel to this game, but the thought of it raises some concern. The setting, Arkham Asylum, is as much a protagonist as Batman or Joker. It feels alive, creepy and interesting, without it the game wouldn't be the same. How can the developers top this game?

But enough about Batman (it just makes me want to go play it again instead of writing this report) and on to the news!



Bioshock 2 Release Date Announced

2K has officially announced that Bioshock 2 will be released on February 9 2010. Originally scheduled for an October release, the game was moved to the 2010 fiscal year during the summer. The game will see a simultaneous release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: If you can't wait to go back to Rapture, now you know exactly when you are going back to the underwater utopia. I admit I did not play the original and it is one of those games in my "to buy" list, but with so many good games coming out it is hard to decide which I want to play now and which I am leaving for later. I am glad the game is getting released on every console at once this time around.



Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Release Date Set, DLC Coming to PS3

Bethesda Softworks has confirmed the release date of Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The game will be released on October 13th and includes all the DLC that was previously made available for the PC and Xbox 360. It will retail for $59.99 on consoles and $49.99 on PC. For PS3 owners who don't want to buy the GOTY edition, the DLC packs will start arriving on the PSN on September 24, with Broken Steel, followed by Operation Anchorage and The Pitt on October 1st, and Mothership Zeta and Point Lookout on October 8. Bethesda is also preparing an update to the PS3 version that will correct some lingering issues.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]


The Beatdown: Better late than never? I guess I did myself a favor when I did not buy Fallout 3. Now I can get the GOTY version instead of having to wait almost a year for the DLC content that was readily available on other versions. To be fair, at least we are getting it, compared to the GTAIV DLC that looks like it will never see the light of day on the PS3.



Left 4 Dead 2 Banned in Australia

Left 4 Dead 2 has been banned in Australia after failing to meet the Australian Classification Board's maximum MA 15+ ratings. Only movies can get the R18+ ratings. The original Left 4 Dead was given the MA 15+ rating when it came out last year. According to a statement made by the ACB, the main offender where the melee weapons like the axe, bat and samurai sword that inflict realistic damage, copious amounts of blood and gore and localized damage that includes exposed skeletal bits and gore, in addition to decapitations and dismemberment.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Sounds like a freakin' cool game, huh? I bet this game will eventually see a release in its current form. It will just mean that EA will have to pay a few extra bucks to change people's minds. I think this rating system is retarded, they allow R rated movies, but not R rated games? So it is ok to see a violent movie, but not play a violent game. Aussies are strange.



Valkyria Chronicles 2 Coming to PSP

As if I needed yet another reason to beg for a PSP, Valkyria Chronicles 2 will be released on PSP in North America during the summer of 2010. The game will pick up 2 years after the events of the original and will see players take control of a group of raw Gallian Military cadets who are caught up in a Civil War after the Gallian Revolutionary Army attempts a coup on the established government. Sega is promising hundreds of missions to complete and that the game will retain the illustrated look.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]


The Beatdown: I am curious to see how the story will follow the ending from the first game. The gameplay itself will translate to the PSP without hiccups; turn-based games like this are great on the go. The first game was a huge surprise and a critical success, so following up on that is going to be hard, yet I firmly believe the development team can pull it off. Wow, is my perception of Sega finally changing for the better? I guess the original game was so good it reminded me of how good Sega's games could be. Be it that I grew up with a Genesis and such classic Sega RPG's as Shining Force and Phantasy Star, I can honestly say that Valkryria Chronicles does that lineage proud and belongs in the hall of Sega classics.



Star Ocean Coming to PS3 in February

Yet another former 360 exclusive is coming to the PS3 as Star Ocean: The Last Hope is set to be released for the PS3 worldwide on February 9 2010, almost a full year since it was released "exclusively" for the Xbox 360. Square had hinted that the exclusivity deal was on a temporary basis and it seems the deal has expired. No further details regarding any changes or improvements to the PS3 port have been given as of this time.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Well, it seems nothing is exclusive anymore unless it was made by the console maker. This game was one of Microsoft's "Big" exclusives to help them penetrate the Japanese gaming market, but now it is coming to the PS3 as well. I hope they actually improve the game or add some new content, because frankly, we PS3 owners always get the shaft when it comes to games, usually having to wait long periods of time to play games like Fallout 3's DLC content, Bioshock and others.



SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 Coming in November

It has been confirmed that SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 will be hitting stores on November 24 for the PSP. The game's storyline will follow a group of underground special-ops soldiers turned mercenaries who are tasked with locating the whereabouts of an ex-KGB agent who has knowledge of an upcoming WMD attack. The game's campaign will be playable in Cooperative Mode.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: The SOCOM series has been pretty hit and miss with some really good titles and some pretty bad ones as well, but they have been generally well received on the PSP. Fireteam Bravo 3 seems to follow the formula to perfection, without any drastic changes. The fact that the entire campaign is playable in coop mode (I love coop options in games) is very exciting news for a prospective PSP owner like myself. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, around this time last year we all thought the PSP was doomed to fail, but there has been excellent first party support and quite a few good third-party games released this year. In my opinion, the PSP is the comeback system of the year, rising from the grave to deliver a good gaming experience.



Frank Shamrock joins EA Sports MMA

It has been confirmed that the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock has joined EA Sports MMA. Shamrock, who most recently lost a bout to Nick Diaz, joins Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture as the 3 biggest names to join EA Sports MMA in spite of the lifetime ban threats from the UFC.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Now if they would just sign Ken Shamrock, we could pit them against each other in one of the biggest fights we will likely never see. Who cares if they are over the hill? I want some "fake" brother violence! I have high hopes for EA MMA in spite of the lifetime ban threats and all that. The more competition, the better, for competition makes developers work extra hard to ensure their game is the superior game.



Free Realms Coming to PS3 Next Year

During a Q & A session in which it was revealed that the PC version of Sony's Free Realms has already hit 5 million users, John Smedly mentioned that Free Realms will be hitting the PS3 "During the middle of the year (2010)" and that it will feature the PS Eye, although he left out exactly how the Eye will be used.
[Credit: 1UP.com]

The Beatdown: Honestly I have yet to try Free Realms, but I can't see how this is different from Home. I guess the game will be free (it is called FREE Realms) and that it will have quests and some other MMORPG stuff, but nothing at the level of marquee products like World of Warcraft. I guess I will reserve judgment until I play it, but I don't think it will have as good a reception as the PC version had.


Quick Hits:


- This is a no brainer, but Capcom has started to hint at a sequel to Street Fighter IV. It will NOT be Street Fighter V, but more like an update to the formula, much like Super Street Fighter II Turbo was to Street Fighter II. I have my money on "Super Street Fighter IV: Hyper Fighting World Warriors Championship Edition Turbo EX Plus Alpha".

- For some reason, a company called Frima Studios has decided to make a Trish Stratus Yoga game called "Stratusphere Yoga" for Nintendo Wii. I give it two weeks before it becomes a $5 bargain game. No offense to Trish, she is HOT, but that game won't sell, unless every desperate teen decides to buy it to see her on compromising positions. That is, assuming her character model is in the game.

- Bon Jovi rejected an offer to appear on Guitar Hero 5. Who cares?

- It seems the rumors that Yakuza 3 would not be localized and released on the USA are not true. Someone at Sega said that the rumors where false and that there was a chance it might be localized after all.

- Uncharted 2 will link to Twitter. That's right, by filling in your account information on the game's options screen, you will automatically connect to Twitter when playing the game and it will update your Twitter account when you complete chapters, start multiplayer matches or earn trophies. I am sure the "hot" girls that follow your Twitter account will love to hear about your virtual success.

Finish Him!



That's it for this week folks! Tune in to this week's Top 5 as we discuss the Top 5 Dreamcast games. Also later this week I will post my review of the PS3 version of Batman: Arkham Asylum and TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled.