The Ultra Combo News Report 11.09.09 Halo: Reach Details Leaked, Halo Waypoint Opens, Mass Effect 2 Special Edition and More!

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 11.09.2009

Plus, No Doubt sues Activision, EA and Madden's Ultimate Team, Star Trek Online Release Date, The Quick Hits and more!



Hey, Yo! God, I always wanted to say that. Welcome to the Ultra Combo News Report! As I type this I am sick with the flu, trying to get better in a few hours since today is supposed to be my first day of work at Gamestop. I don't know how I am going to hide my flu symptoms, but I am not going to miss a day of work! No, I don't have H1N1, so there is nothing to worry about. Also this week I have been swimming on paperwork, as the final stretch for what I hope is my last semester in college has kicked in. Tons of exams, three different group projects and more essays than a human being could reasonably do. You know what I hate about group projects? That I always end up doing more than the rest of the members of my team. Part of the reason I am so full of paperwork and why my last two reports have been shorter than usual is that I have had to take extra responsibilities in the group because people are dropping out of the class or just procrastinating and failing to meet the deadlines I established as group leader. Trust me, when a project is supposed to be done by 5 people and only 2 are working, the work load gets a little insane. So yeah, I am juggling 3 projects, 3 essays, 2 tests, one presentation and this article. Plus, like I mentioned, I start working today, which is going to cut my time in half as it is and I am sick with the flu. Sucks to be me this week!


Halo: Reach Details Leak!

Last week, details about next year's Halo: Reach surfaced, a leak reported by the Major League Gaming forums and picked up by Gamespot. The screens provided in the leak are of a very early version, which is why they looked a bit unpolished, and the game appears to run on a brand new engine. The missions shown fit well within the Halo: Fall of Reach novel (on which the game is inspired) and feature a good number of male and female SPARTANS attempting to take control of Reach's planetary defense system. Reach will apparently feature some of the search and rescue missions from the original Halo (such as finding and rescuing marines who crashed their orbital ships) and also feature some sniper and infiltration missions like ODST. One particular level featured Covenant forces doing battle with some of Reach's wildlife. The screens also show part of the menus, which revealed a privacy switch to turn on or off the drop-in Cooperative play. Several new weapons are revealed as well, including a modified version of Halo 2's Battle Rifle, a Needler Rifle and the return of the Needler, SPARTAN Laser and the Warthog vehicle.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Even as a PS3 gamer who only played Halo on the PC, never played Halo 2 and only briefly played Halo 3 and ODST at friend's houses, I find it really hard not to be excited about a new Halo game. There is something about the series that makes it different and exciting, in spite of being yet another first-person shooter. One thing that makes it appealing to me is that I read the Fall to Reach novel, so I am very intrigued to see how it plays out in the game. I am sure they will cut some stuff out, because the novel was pretty detailed. All the details that leaked are about the single-player campaign, but I am sure the multiplayer aspect is going to be just as good. One of the screens actually showed four health bars….could this mean 4 player Cooperative?


Mass Effect 2 Special Edition Details
Mass Effect 2 will be getting a Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition will feature the game (of course), the first edition of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, A hardcover Art of Mass Effect 2 book, a DVD with behind-the-scenes and making off footage and exclusive weapons and armor that will not be available through other means. The best part? It will be priced at $69.99, which is only $10 more than the regular version.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: For only $10, I think this is the version to get. I mean, if you are interested in the in-game armor and weapons and have a soft spot for comics, this is for you. Personally I dislike having to pay extra for making off DVD's, because that is the type of thing you see once and then toss in a dark corner of your room, but the rest of the pack sounds good.


No Doubt Sues Activision Over Band Hero

The controversy that Kurt Cobain sparked (dude is controversial even in death. Now that's an ICON!) has come back to bite Activision. No Doubt has sued Activision over their appearance in Band Hero, stating that they never authorized their use in other band's songs. The suit states that Activision intentionally did not tell members of No Doubt that their avatars could be used to play in other band's songs. An Activision spokesperson replied that they are "studying their legal options" and that locking out the band's avatars from performing in other songs is "too costly".
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Well, the floodgates are open. I guess this opens up the opportunity from everyone from Slash to Sting to Zakk Wylde to sue Activision for the same thing. Now I am no legal expert, but I am sure Activision will find a way to settle out of court. However, one thing concerns me. More bands and artists are likely to follow suit and sue for the same thing, but which ones are legitimately concerned about their image and which ones are going to use this as a new opportunity to cash in? Either way, Activision made a mistake and they are going to pay some major cash for it.


Star Trek Online Release Date

Atari has confirmed that the North American servers for Star Trek Online will be ready for February 2, 2010, while the European servers will be ready for February 5, finally putting a release date on the highly anticipated MMO-game. The game operates independently from the movie and TV series franchise and allows players to take the role of a starship captain for either, The Federation or The Klingon, with the Borg also playing a role in the story.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: Now I don't know much about Star Trek and the few episodes I have seen have bored me to tears. But I have been following the development of this game largely because it sounds different from the other MMO games out there. You are a ship captain, which means that you have a crew, you explore space and apparently you will take part in large scale battles as well. Will it capture the political elements from the series? That is something we need to wait and see.


Halo Waypoint Opens

Halo Waypoint finally opened earlier this week. Players can download Halo Waypoint, a 113.8 MB download, and add an entirely new channel dedicated to Bungie and Microsoft's marquee title. The channel features an Intel section with details on all Bungie-made games as well as a preview for the first Halo Legends episode, "The Babysitter". The Halo Legends series will be available on February 9, 2010. Also the channel features the "Halo Career", a system that tracks and converts all achievements earned on Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo Wars into an overall career score, which also rewards players with avatar costumes and other goodies for obtaining certain levels. The service is open to everyone until November 26, when only Xbox Live Gold members will get access.
[Credit: Gamespot.com]

The Beatdown: I have mentioned this before, but I believe this is a fantastic idea that other developers (and other platforms) should emulate. Having a dedicated channel for a game series that rewards players and allows them to track and compare their series stats sounds amazing. I imagine they are going to sell Halo-related products as well. I know Sony has specific sections inside Home for certain games, but they really can't compare to what is offered on Halo Waypoint.


Gyromancer Release Date Set

Gyromancer, the puzzle/RPG collaboration between casual gaming giant PopCap and RPG giant Squaresoft will hit Xbox Live and PC on November 18 for 1200 Microsoft Points or $15. The game seeks to combine Bejeweled Twist with the RPG qualities of a Final Fantasy title, essentially putting them on direct competition with Puzzle Quest.
[Credit: 1UP.com]

The Beatdown: I am eagerly awaiting this release (and my PC, which I already sent in to be fixed) since I loved Puzzle Quest and this game has the potential to be better than that game. We are talking two giants of their respective fields collaborating to make one game that combines the best parts of both genres. If that doesn't pump you up, I don't know what will.


EA Sports Introduces Madden Ultimate Team

If you like collectible card games and free updates to games, then you are in for a treat. Madden NFL 10 will receive a free update this winter that will add a collectible card game titled Madden Ultimate Team. Similar to the FIFA Ultimate Team introduced in FIFA 09 last year, Ultimate Team will give players a random deck composed of players, with the idea of playing games against other players or the CPU to earn coins that can be used to bid on other cards or buy card packs to improve your deck. You can also use real life money to buy card packs. Players are also given the option to auction their own cards for coins.
[Credit: 1UP.com]

The Beatdown: I am a sucker for collectible cards and card games, so I might have to invest some money on Madden NFL 10. What I like the most is that this is a free game, even when the apparent quality of it is enough to make it worth $10 on Xbox Live and PSN. Who says EA is all about the money? Of course, this might be a test to see if people enjoy it and then start selling yearly versions, but at least for this year, it is free.

The Quick Hits:

- According to George Harrison, the aim of Rock Band 3 will be to teach players how to play real life music. Now that is something I would pay good money for.

- Activision pretty much confirmed that they will release another Call of Duty game next year. That is no secret, as I reported that Treyarch was working on a new Call of Duty game that would take place in the Cold War several weeks ago.

- The PS3 will get an exclusive multiplayer beta of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on November 19.

- Braid will finally come to the PS3! The game will be sold for $14.99 on the PSN starting this Thursday.

- Nintendo is planning WiiWare demos and will test the feature in the next few weeks.

Finish Him!


Cammy Wins

Until next week folks! Remember that you can leave me comments and suggestions for the column and for any games you think I should purchase. As it turns out, my girlfriend decided that she will get me Uncharted 2 for Christmas, so that one is officially out of my "to buy" list. Right now my list features God of War Collection, Brutal Legend, Demon Souls, Modern Warfare 2 and Smackdown vs Raw 2010. Vote now! Oh, and one more thing: Mark, I am not getting a Wii just for Target Terror.