411 Games Fact or Fiction 11.01.11 GTA V, Battlefield 3, WoW and More

Posted by Adam Larck on 11.01.2011

Will Grant Theft Auto V really take place in Los Angeles? Is Ezio from Assassin's Creed a good fit for Soul Calibur? Does DICE need to make sure their Battlefield server problems are fixed before they launch? 411’s Trace Aber and Jeffrey Harris debate these questions and more in this week’s 411Fact or Fiction: Games!

Welcome back to another week of 411 Games Fact or Fiction. I'm Adam Larck, and I' finished up Catherine and the Portal 2 DLC. For some reason, though, I've been putting a lot more time back into Sims 3.

This week, we have Jeffrey Harris and Trace Aber going head-to-head. Let's see how these two do. Time for banner!





1.) Grand Theft Auto V will really take place in Los Angeles.

Trace Aber - Fact: Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part, but it seems pretty likely that GTAV will indeed take place in LA. It follows in the footsteps of GTA IV being set in a previous world already used before, though it does seem to skip out on Vice City. Don't get me wrong, I loved Vice City, but I think LA is a better location for the kind of worlds Rockstar has been creating as of late. And why is everyone more focused on the location than the fact rumors are circulating that you'll be playing as multiple characters?

Jeffrey Harris - Fact: The staple of the Grand Theft Auto franchise is always fictional cities or states based on real ones. I've seen nothing to indicate that GTAV will be set in Los Angeles. It's always about the appropriated, fictional cities such as Vice City, Liberty City, and the fictional cities of the fictional state San Andreas. I see no reason why the Rockstar team would break up the formula here as it's been a mainstay of the franchise. It would be a bold, new direction but it's not going to happen.

Score: 1 for 1 - Considering Rockstar's last game took place in LA, why not just keep it there since the outlay of the city is already there and can be upgraded?



2.) Like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3 had server problems at launch. DICE needs to spend some time getting this fixed before launch.

Trace Aber - Fact: Game companies in general need to make sure their games are as close to 100% ready as possible before launch, not just DICE. I understand that these can often be fixed relatively quickly through patches and updates, but the fact of the matter is that when people are waiting outside at midnight to pick up your game, and have likely been anticipating it for months, the least you could do is make sure the damn thing is playable beforehand. That being said, it is possible that DICE was not prepared for the amount of people trying to log in around launch, which may be the silver lining in this story. On the flip side, they probably should have been better prepared as they've had these problems before. Or maybe servers just need a complete do-over to make them more efficient, as nearly every major online console game has some server problems it seems.

Jeffrey Harris - Fact: I see no reason why not. You need to get those dedicated servers up pronto. Otherwise you are going to have tons of complaints and angry fans screaming for blood if that's not taken care of. I think this is why that delays are OK if it means fixing problems and giving gamers a better overall product that is just better for everyone. I'd rather wait longer for a much better looking, smoother, and faster running game than a rough and choppy looking disappointment.

Score: 2 for 2 - This isn't the first time this has happened for DICE. Even with the beta there were tons of problems. If they want to compete with Activision, EA needs to make sure they have the servers to handle the influx.



3.) The WoW Annual Pass is a good idea for players.

Trace Aber - Fact: Anything that rewards dedicated players while not screwing over the less dedicated players is a good idea to me. If you plan on playing WoW throughout the year, as many players do, it's nice to know that you're appreciated for your dedication. A lot of game companies are doing that on consoles with discounted DLC "season passes," though this one sweetens the pot by throwing in beta entries and a free version of Diablo III. No idea how this could be considered a bad thing.

Jeffrey Harris - Fact: I think it is a good option to have out there for players that want one and can afford it. There is nothing wrong with having options like this in my opinion. As long as it's not mandatory to have just this type of pass to play and players can still get a choice for their type of pass or plan in which they want to play, it's good.

Score: 3 for 3 - WoW fans will love it, but I wonder how many will appreciate the free copy of Diablo 3 as well.

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Get More: GameTrailers.com, Soul Calibur V - Exclusive Character Reveal Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

4.) Ezio is a good addition to Soul Calibur V.

Jeffrey Harris - Fact: With a bullet. Soul Caliber has frequently incorporated other videogame franchise characters to play as in the game. It's fun and adds another fun dimension to the gameplay and playable characters no different than Nintendo's Super Mash Bros. In Super Smash Bros. Melee you had Solid Snake and also Sonic the Hedgehog. So putting Ezio in Soul Calibur is a great move. I mean Soul Calibur games have also had Spawn, Link from Zelda, Kratos from God of War, and Heihachi from Tekken. Putting in Ezio just seems to keep in that spirit and style of the older Soul Calibur games. This is win/win.

Trace Aber - Fact: When you look at some of the other guest characters in the Soul Calibur games, such as Yoda and Spawn, Ezio makes a little bit more sense in the context of the world than most, so that alone makes him a fair addition. The fact that a lot of people are excited about this, and that the little trailer they showed for it was awesome, seems to confirm that Ezio, was indeed, a good addition. I personally, however, have no interest as I haven't played much of Assassin's Creed and lost interest in Soul Calibur after the Dreamcast games.

Score: 4 for 4 - Like Link, I want to know what kind of weapon set Ezio will have to use.



5.) EA should have been up front with PS3 owners about not including Battlefield 1943 in Battlefield 3 copies instead of waiting until after launch.

Jeffrey Harris - Fact: The PR for this was clearly handled poorly. Because it was first announced as coming with the game, so fans pre-ordered Battlefield 3 thinking it would include Battlefield 1943. I think EA really needs to do something to improve customer service here. I mean, I doubt it will destroy sales of Battlefield 3 as a result, but it was still a poorly thought out, executed, and underhanded move. Fans were misled about the inclusion in the game, so instead they have to now pay for it as additional DLC. I think one thing they could do is a special all in one DLC pack that includes Battlefield 1943 and every other perpetual DLC pack for the game similar to WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2011. Or they should just go ahead and give the Battlefield 1943 download to all the people who pre-ordered it with the intent of also wanting that on disk. That being said, I'm not sure this will hurt the overall sales in the long run.

Trace Aber - Fact: Absolutely. It's just plain false advertisement and it wouldn't have been that difficult to make the announcement. I'm actually kind of shocked they did that, since it seemed like a really good incentive and one that may have swayed people to getting the PS3 version over the 360 version...and now it's all for naught. This coupled along with the server issues gives Battlefield 3 a bit of an auspicious start, which is not good when you're trying to go up against the Call of Duty juggernaut.

Score: 5 for 5 - I'd love to know the reason for this, as PS3 owners are still waiting to get their hands on 1943.



6.) Sony should give the option of letting Vita games save internally or externally.

Jeffrey Harris - Fiction: This question just sounds too absolute to me. The Vita is a new piece of technology, maybe they just couldn't figure out yet how to make it so you could save your games internally or externally. But ultimately I don't see the problem. Memory cards for digital devices aren't exactly some new and scary thing. Maybe fans have gotten really used to internal memory saves, but I don't think that means that external saves need to be avoided like the plague. I've never really had a problem using portable hard drives, flash drives, thumb drives, or memory cards. That being said, I don't plan on being a Vita owner either.

Trace Aber - Fact: If I'm going to have to buy a ridiculously expensive memory card I better be able to save whatever the hell I want on it. This is a really odd decision by Sony, and I can't think of a logical reason as to why there's no option to save internally or externally. And what if somebody buys a memory card and ends up only getting games that save internally? I'm excited about the Vita, but little details like this start to make me worry about the big picture.

Score: 5 for 6 - If many games are going to need memory cards, why not just give the option of where to save?



Bonus Question) Rock Band really does need a departure from the previous games.

Jeffrey Harris - Fiction: I say fiction because I'm honestly really not into the whole Rock Band/Guitar Hero craze. Music games just aren't my thing and I never really play them. I mean if fans are still happy with Rock Bad, why does their need to be a big departure. And how do you really depart from a game series like Rock Band? Make it an action music game where you get into fights with other Rock Bands and have band/music battles like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World? Grand Theft Auto meets Rock Band? I doubt it would work.

Trace Aber - Fact: Rock Band needs a departure from life.

Adam Larck - Fact: Let's be honest, this genre over-saturated the market way too fast. There's a reason Guitar Hero is on hiatus, and that's why. Harmonix is making a smart decision by trying to make a departure from past games. Whether that entails using the Kinect or some other feature is unknown, but the team needs something to draw fans back in.

The pair finish this week going 5-for-6. What do you think? Agree or disagree with their answers? Let us know. See you in seven!