B3yond the Report 01.12.10: Dragon Age Expansion, Gran Turismo 5, PS3 in 3D and MLB 10 The Show

Posted by Jon Seddon on 01.12.2010

This week we look at the Dragon Age expansion, the Gran Turismo 5 cover, and wonder what Treyarch are going to do with a Call of Duty set in Vietnam...



We're now back into the swing of things again with plenty of news and announcements coming. Dragon Age gets a full on expansion, Gran Turismo gets a cover, proving that it will be shipped at some point and Kaz Harai sets forth Sony's 3D strategy. If that wasn't enough the usual post Christmas drought of games isn't going to happen this year and this week sees the release of a demo for Dark Void and an Army of Two sequel at retail.

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Dragon Age gets expansion

In March EA will release Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening at retail, which is an expansion to the original story following events of the original game. You will take the role of the Gray Warden Commander as you rebuild the order and unravel the secrets of the dark spawn and how they survived the end of the original game. Within the game you will get a whole new area to explore called Amaranthine and you will come across new creatures such as the Inferno Golem and the Spectral Dragon.

You will be able to bring across your old characters or start afresh and even if you do retain your original party there will be an opportunity to re-spec them. Other additions include a higher-level cap, new spells, abilities, specializations, and items. There will also be 5 all new party members to interact with.



It'll be out March 26 as a separate retail disc, but you will need your original disc to play it. Price will be $29.99. We had it confirmed that it will also be made available as DLC for a comparable price and will include additional Trophies.

Without more information on how long the new quest is and how big the new areas are, it's difficult to know whether it represents reasonable value for money at $30. I get the feeling that EA are in an experimental phase desperately trying to stop the trade in of discs and at the same time trying to leverage the fan base at minimum cost.

Gran Turismo 5 Cover Unveiled

A game cover doesn't usually make the news, but then Gran Turismo 5 is not an ordinary game. Patient fans have been waiting for 5 years for the release of this game and in that time have been subjected to the below par payable demo that was Prologue and the uninspiring free demo that was released just before Christmas.

Anyway, Sony have now revealed that the cover star this time around will be none other than the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, which if you're a motoring fanatic you will probably recollect that this is the spiritual successor to the 1954 300SL. Its modern incarnation has a 6.2 l V8 engine accelerating from 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. Even I know that's pretty quick.



The Mercedes super car will launch in March at the Geneva Motor Show, so does that mean we should expect the game at a similar time? Currently, Sony isn't saying but it would surely be a missed opportunity for them.

Sony at CES

It seems that Sony have fully embraced 3D earlier than many people thought. Kaz Harai announced that Sony Bravia TVs would be launched this year and the PS3 will receive two firmware upgrades to enable 3D. The first upgrade will provide 3D in games and the second will enable it movies, although both will need to be formats will need to be specifically made to take advantage of it, i.e. current media won't automatically be presented in 3D.

They had 3 games on show in 3D: Super Stardust HD, Gran Turismo 5 and James Cameron's Avatar. Although I haven't seen these action, I expect the effect to be similar to that in modern 3D movies that are now being shown in cinemas, i.e. the picture initially appears a little dull, the 3D is impressive and some people find that the glasses give them a headache.

If Sony thinks they can use 3D as a means to shift PS3s then I suspect that they will probably be disappointed. A lot of people have just gone through a cycle of upgrading their TVs to take advantage of the HD revolution and are in no mood for another upgrade cycle quite yet. The other thing that I'm not sure about is how eager people will be to wear 3D glasses every time they want to watch TV or play a game. Games also make reasonable spectator sport and so now my wife will have to don glasses when she wants to watch me play God of War 3D.

For a question and answer session with Sony's John Koller take a look at this video:

In other news Kaz talked up the success of PS3 towards the end of 2009 and backed it up with worldwide sales of 3.8 million units for the last 5 weeks of the year. It would surprise no one if a million of these were Japanese Final Fantasy fans who at last got their hands on Final Fantasy XIII in December.

Lastly, the PlayStation Network will become the de facto online service and will be added to other consumer electronics devices as early as this month with Bravia TVs amongst the first devices to benefit. This means the PS wallet can now be spent on your TV, so perhaps themes for your television?

MLB 10 The Show Dated

Another game to proudly display its cover is SCE's MLB 10 The Show, which for some is not just the best baseball series, but also the best sporting series currently available for consoles. For those of you that care, this year's cover star is Joe Mauer who is the first catcher ever to appear on the cover.

As well as the cover they were also keen to unveil all the new features, which I reproduce for you below:

* HR Derby – The Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Futures Game are now available during the All-Star break in our season modes and as a stand-alone experience.
* Catcher Calling the Game – Call pitches and play as the field general, just like Joe Mauer.
* Online Gameplay Improved – This year the online gameplay experience has been vastly improved and will detect and respond better to adverse network conditions along with reduced bandwidth to help the speed and flow of online gameplay.
* User Controlled Pick-Offs – Surprise a base runner with a quick move or lull him to sleep with our new pick-off mechanism.
* Custom Music, Fan Yells, and Chants – Assign music or a recording to an entire team, edit tracks to assign batter walk-up music, or record your own voice and assign it to play for the team or player during the situation of your choice.
* Movie Maker – Select up to ten replays to add to a single movie and do all the editing for your own highlight reel.
* New Stadiums – Five new Minor League stadiums as well as classic parks including Forbes Field, Crosley Field, Polo Grounds, Shibe Park, Sportsman Park, and Griffith Stadium.
* New Fielding/Pitching Training Modes and Practice Drills – New pitching and fielding training sessions will be part of our Road to The Show training suite.
* Road to The Show Version 4.0 – New option settings (Game Watch and Game Completion) allow users to set how much of the game they wish to view, our mistake tracking system and new Green Light system reward and penalize good play, and our new stat tracking system keeps stats for your player's career versus every pitcher or batter faced during the current season that can be accessed at any time.
* Full Online Season Leagues – Fully functional online season leagues, save and display MLB Player stats, track player energy, allow for trades/injuries, and offer 40-man roster functionality.
* Weekly Live Roster – An updated live roster will be available every week throughout the entire season.
* Online Game History – View every game you've ever played online, complete with opponents, box scores, and game logs.
* 1-30 Player Season Modes – Control one or all 30 teams right from the start of your franchise or season.
* New Camera System – The most realistic camera system available will make you double take and make sure you're not watching a live MLB telecast.
* Real-Time Presentations – More than 1,250 new gameplay animations, more than 1,000 new presentation animations, and more than 400 personalized pitcher and batter animations.
* Stadium Realism and Experience – Details, details, details! MLB 10 The Show offers daytime transitional lighting, shows all players on field in
real-time (including players in the dugout and bullpen), and offers improved stadium ambiance with HR/splash counters, fireworks, steam,
noisemakers, towels, thunder sticks, working digital and analog clocks, crowd reaching over the rails, and crowd detail, such as interaction
with vendors and placing K signs.

Every year they say they've drastically improved the online play and each year so far, it's been depressingly laggy, so hopefully this year, they've finally got the their net code sorted. One of the things I like in MLB are the tiny new details and animations that don't add anything to the game, but add an immense amount to the atmosphere. I will be looking hard to spot all those little tweaks March 2nd when it's released.

Good Morning Call of Duty

According to various reports, Treyarch's next entry in the Call of Duty series will be set in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Last year it was reported that they were researching Vietnam War era music for a game, so this either corroborates that earlier report or is simply another coincidental rumor.

If we assume it's true, then what would the Vietnam War bring to the genre? In terms of weapons, they might, in the first instance feel a little familiar to anyone used to modern day guns. The US Marines were using M16s whilst the Vietnamese soldier was using the AK-47, which is still very much in use today. Helicopters were the main means of moving troops in the densely forested theatre, which would again give the game a modern feel. Where it might feel like the 1940s are areas such as communication and intel, which were limited to a single guy with a field radio and out of date info from recon flights. You'll still be able to call in artillery and air strikes, but with much less precision than you might be used to, depending on how accurately Treyarch model those weapons.

The actual combat may end up very reminiscent of portions of COD5 where you were fighting your way through the dark and dank trees waiting for the inevitable ambush. The Vietnamese practiced guerrilla warfare with fewer standing battles and levels where you are exploring dark underground complexes and the odd booby trap demolition mini-game could be good additions. If the game is indeed influenced by Apocalypse Now and Platoon, perhaps we should expect riverboat battles and helicopter gunship sequences, but perhaps not surfing or widespread drug abuse.



It's difficult to know how Activision will play the mood of the game, because history has given America and the rest of the world a very different perspective on the Vietnam conflict and the it wasn't always easy to know friend or foe and indeed right and wrong. There is also the potential horror of napalm, agent orange and the atrocities committed in the war to either deal with or ignore. Do not expect anything similar to Nazi zombie mode in this game!

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PlayStation at Retail

After last week's momentous start to the year, this week isn't quite as good, but the positive press about Army of Two: The Fortieth Day make it worth checking out. There's a PS3 demo on the PSN if you're not sure about it, but it's perhaps not a great demo given that it's multi-player only and I struggled to find people to play with.

PlayStation 3
Army of Two: The Fortieth Day
Vancouver 2010

PSP
Army of Two: The Fortieth Day

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A bit lightweight this week, but there are few things worth checking out. Issue 20 of Qore looks at Dante's Inferno, Bayonetta, Bioshock 2 and Heavy Rain.

The only new PS3 game is Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond, which I played and I wasn't impressed with. Looks and plays like a cheap game relying on it's name to sell, which is odd given the poor standing of that name. It's not actually cheap either at $14.99.

There is a demo for Matt Hazard, which I'd advise you to check out if you're at all tempted. I would also recommend you take a look at the Dark Void demo before you spend money on it next week as it's also a game that hardly sets the world alight. If you can't be bothered, my impressions are in the What I've Been Playin section.

As for add-ons, there's an arena type pack called Mad Moxi's Underdome Riot for Borderlands, but it's received a mixed reception. It's a little bit like a horde mode, but you don't pick up any experience for your kills, so perhaps a bit of a waste of time. You'll also find more tracks for MX vs. ATV and characters for PAIN and Dragon Ball.

For PSP there are 3 more games: Pinball Heroes: Bundle, Bomberman Land and Dungeon Explorer and add-ons for Disgaea 2, which I may well pick up.

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What I've Been Playing

I've been busy playing lots of old games this week, but I've still found a little bit of time to play new games like Darksiders and MAG.

Dark Void Demo.Could the efforts of Airtight Games be the reason for Capcom to lose faith with western developers? We got our chance to judge their latest game this week with the release of a demo for Dark Void, which follows the rocket pack equipped exploits of your hero, who has crash landed whilst piloting his regular flying machine over the Bermuda Triangle. So how is it?



I actually played both the 360 and the PS3 version and for once the PS3 version is a better looking prospect, although they seem to play the same. It looks leagues better on PS3 making the 360 version look as if it's been released without any of the post processing effects in place.

The game itself gives you the elements of a third person shooter with the obvious benefits that wearing a jet pack might provide you. The demo gives you the chance to try out ground strafing, aerial dog fighting and stop-and-pop corridor shooting. At the end of demo, I didn't feel any immediate desire to pre-order the game, just because it didn't seem to do anything brilliantly, but then again it didn't do anything terribly either. Whether the game is worth playing will come down to how much the aerial elements add to the generic ground based shooting. Early Metacritic scores haven't been very kind though.

MAG Beta. The beta is now over and so any decision as to whether this is worth a purchase should have been made, but at the moment I'm really on the fence. The whole premise of the game relies on squads of people working together to achieve objectives under the guidance of someone that should have both the intel and the experience to guide you to success. What I witnessed in the beta was a complete lack of headset usage and therefore virtually no cohesive strategy. I'd love to get into this sort of game, so if you're going to get it when it's released and you can teach me some tricks with this sort of game, then let me know.



Darksiders: Wrath of War.This game has been delayed multiple times since the original Fall 08 date, but from first impressions it might have been worth the wait. You play War who is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and you have accidentally triggered that Apocalypse and so you must redeem yourself by putting things right, which obviously involved lots of crazy beat'em up action interspersed with puzzle sections. I'm playing this one for review, so I won't reveal too much about it here, other than to say it makes a good first impression.

Buzz!: Quiz TV.t's the first time I've actually played this game with 3 other people on the sofa and I have to say I was really quite impressed. Before this, I've only ever played the game online, which is a completely different structure to the local game and is longer, with more interesting rounds and genuinely fun for all the family. Obviously, winning always helps!

Uncharted. I finished up Uncharted this week and finished just as well as it started. I was a little worried once the zombie creatures turned up that it was going to turn into a straight fight against the undead, but fortunately they only really appeared on a couple of levels. Endings are always difficult in games, especially ones that are as good as uncharted, but Naughty Dog didn't do too bad a job. It was a little bit frustrating restricted to just a shotgun for the last level, but that's my only real gripe about the finale. Overall, the game still looks brilliant, plays well and is well acted and scripted. I would have liked more levels that relied on puzzle solving or acrobatic endeavors, but it's cheaper to fill a level with baddies that build intricate 3D climbing frames, so I can kind of let Naughty Dog off.

Borderlands.We finally got a chance to get back to Borderlands and we now have the weapons and the upgrades to kick some butt. We're about level 17 now and so we're starting to get some really good weapon drops and each time an enemy drops something, the anticipation mounts as to what the next sniper rifle might be. Story wise there's not really much to go at, but if you like just picking up a quest and then heading off with a buddy after loot, you'll love this game. Thankfully, my brother and I favor different weapons, my brother is a shot gunner and I prefer sniper rifles and so there's no squabbling over ammo or the shiny guns. We easily lose 2 to 3 hours at a time playing this game, which is testament to how good it is. My short attention span typically tires of one experience after 45 minutes to an hour. Difficult to say whether Gearbox were lucky in their game design or whether they have geniuses at work, but I'd like to believe the latter.

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We're back to normal now, even if the release schedule is hardly normal for the time of year. Next week, there will be more new games, more news and more shared experience, so I'll see you there.