Ultra Combo News Report 11.02.09: God of War III Ultimate Edition, God of War Collection Release Date, Bayonetta Release Date, More!

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 11.02.2009

Plus, my thoughts on the Modern Warfare 2 "Massacre" scandal, the Quick Hits and a lot more!



Gone are the witches and pumpkins and in is one of my favorite months of the year: November. Turkey, potatoes with gravy and family gatherings full of booze, funny (and embarrassing) moments and plenty of leftover turkey. Yeah, I love turkey. Anyway, this is the Ultra Combo News Report and its time to hit some news!



God of War III Ultimate Edition Announced

If you love God of War III, then you are going to love the new Ultimate Edition. Priced at $99.99, the Ultimate Edition comes packaged inside a Pandora's Box replica and includes an art book, the trilogy soundtrack, a feature length retrospective of the franchise, a series of heavy metal tracks inspired by God of War and access to downloadable content. Of course, this DLC is not detailed at this point. It also includes a series of in-game bonuses, including a new "Dominus" skin for Kratos and access to the Combat Arena where players can complete 7 challenges. Players who pre-order this version will get a code to download the E3 demo, the same one that comes bundled with God of War Collection.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: If you love God of War, then this is the version to get. I think that Sony knows how to appeal to the fan bases created by their respective games. Everything included in this pack sounds awesome. Sure, I don't care for the skin or combat arena, but if you look at them as just extras and focus on the rest of the package, then it sounds awesome. Full-length retrospective, the soundtrack (which is going to get played A LOT in my house) the art book and access to future DLC…what more could you ask for?


Modern Warfare 2 Massacre Causes Uproar

Last week new footage of Modern Warfare 2 leaked from an illegal copy. In this footage, the player is shown taking control of a terrorist and killing innocents in an airport massacre. The footage caused uproar because of the similarities between it and real life attacks that occurred last year in Mumbai, India. Activision quickly responded to the leak, stating that the event "is not representative of overall gameplay" and that the scene is "purely optional". According to this response, players will reach a mandatory checkpoint in which a warning about the upcoming event pops up: Players are given the choice not to engage in the following gameplay segment, which is the massacre.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: I decided not to elaborate more on the scene because it is a big spoiler, but basically it is an integral part of the storyline that serves to make the bad guys feel really bad and evoke a sense of real emotion from the player. It reflects the realities of terrorism and in my opinion, serves as a way for people who are disconnected from such real life events to witness how cruel, vicious and evil they are. After witnessing the video (Activision is trying to stop it from spreading, so the site where I found it has been taken down) I can confirm that it is brutal and disturbing. Still, it is an integral part of the story and serves a purpose….it wasn't thrown there for the sake of creating a controversy. I think what people need to do is stop seeing it as "another violent video game" and see it as a creative way to tell a story. It is not the same thing to find a character that tells you about the massacre and witnessing it firsthand. They might serve the same purpose (make the bad guys worth killing), but emotionally it's not the same thing. Your reaction and your feelings about the situation are going to be different. I have seen movies do worse and nobody really cares. Why can't games be seen as an art form, just like movies are? The game is rated M for a reason and if a parent is stupid enough to buy an M rated game for their kids, then the problem is the parent and not the game.


Bayonetta Release Date Set

Bayonetta will arrive in stores for the PS3 and 360 on January 5 2010. That is the official release date set by Sega, who claimed that the early months of the year are the best for establishing a new property in the West and that it is hoping to achieve a #1 retail slot. The European release date will be January 8th.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: There is a lot of excitement on the internet about this game and I can understand those that really like it and their reasons. It looks like a really good game, although I am not excited by it. It just looks like a Devil May Cry rehash and after finishing the PS2 trilogy and did not even bother to pick up part 4 because I was tired of the genre. Couple that with early reports from importers of the Japanese version about how poor it looks on the PS3 when compared to the 360 and what little interest I had in the game went down the drain. According to reports, problems include blurry and poor quality graphics as well as frame rate and slowdown issues. I am tired of poor ports and I have personally decided to boycott those third-party games that are somehow worse on the PS3. I mean, if the differences or errors or whatever are minimal, I don't care. But if it's something drastic, count me out. Sure, I am going to wait until the game comes out and I can experience it firsthand, but as of right now, I don't care about you Bayonetta. You need a lot more than violence, blood and pseudo-nakedness to get me interested.


God of War Collection Release Date Set

After rumors of a delay until next year where proven false, God of War Collection is finally getting a release date: November 17. The game includes both PS2 God of War titles with 720p high-definition graphics, a code to download the demo of God of War III and full sets of trophies for both games. Yes, two platinum trophies in one box!
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Contrary to what I said about Bayonetta, this is the type of game whose hype is getting to me. When it was first announced, I was thinking about getting it at some point. Then I started to think about getting it for Christmas. After the full trophy list was revealed, I am on board to get it on launch date. The problem is, I have Fallout 3 GOTY on my tab and I have Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend on my "to buy" list. Can I really place God of War Collection ahead of Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend? Price could be a factor: after all, God of War is cheaper. Still, I am open to suggestions: Which of those three should I get first? I don't want any of them to become another Killzone 2: A game I really wanted that kept getting pushed back for other games and has now fallen of my list completely.


DJ Hero DLC Details

The first batch of DJ Hero DLC arrived this past week. Featured in the pack where mixes of "All of Me" by 50 Cent (feat. Mary J. Blige) mixed with Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" and a mix of Gorillaz "Dare" with Public Enemy's "Can't Truss It". The two-song bundle is priced at $5.99

A three-pack of David Guetta songs are set for a November 24 release, featuring "Sexy Bitch", "On the Dance Floor" and "When Love Takes You Over" and will be sold for $7.99
[Credit: 1UP.com]

The Beatdown: Another game on my "to buy" list is DJ Hero, although that one can wait a while. The reviews have been better than expected and I am intrigued by the concept. Still, I find the DLC a bit overpriced, but that is always the case with these games. Considering that one song features two artists, which means double the licensing and royalty payments, it is understandable. Still, that doesn't mean I have to like it and I don't.


Resident Evil Zero Wii Release Date

Another Resident Evil game will hit the Wii this year. Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero will be the official Wii port of the 2002 Gamecube classic, complete with Wii remote controls. The game will hit stores on December 1st.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: According to my horror loving friends, Resident Evil Zero was one of the best titles in the RE franchise. However, is it worth paying full price for on the Wii, when the Gamecube title can be bought for a fraction of the price and you can play it on your Wii? I have a friend who bought a Wii and started collecting Gamecube games that, because he was a PS2 owner, he has never played before. One of the first games he purchased was Resident Evil Zero. You know what? He got RE: Zero, a Gamecube controller, a Gamecube memory card and another game (I think it might have been Pikmin) for $40. That's around the price range this game will be sold for, right? So, is it really worth paying so much for added remote compatibility? Sure, I admire the fact that Capcom has not shied away from bringing M rated games to the Wii, but most of them have been re-hashes and on-rail shooters. Where is the innovation?

The Quick Hits:

- Borderlands has been patched on both, the PS3 and 360, fixing some of the issues with friend lists, online performance and skills that where not working the way they where supposed to. There are some issues that remain, but kudos to the development team for working on solutions so quickly.

- Mr. Iwata, Nintendo's President, has confirmed that Wii sales have stalled. With everyone and their grandma, dog and goldfish owning a Wii, it was bound to happen. Is it time for Wii Too?

- SOCOM 3 for PSP has been delayed until January 2010. Didn't I report the game's release date a couple of weeks back? Can you guys make up your minds? I am tired of writing about the same stuff every week.

- If you want the God of War III demo without having to purchase God of War Collection, the demo will be included in the District 9 Blu-Ray release.

Finish Him!


Jade Wins

Until next week folks! I really encourage you guys to help me out with my game buying decision. I know a lot of you are going through the same stuff (lots of good games, limited funds) so I also encourage you all to share your game-buying stories. Which games are you planning to get?