Panopticon’s Real Name is ‘Freedom Wars,’ Coming to PS Vita in 2014
That “Panopticon” trailer revealed by Sony Studios Japan last week is actually a tease for a multiplayer action title called Freedom Wars, which is due for PS Vita in Japan sometime in 2014.
The game still is rigidly connected to the concept of “Panopticon”: elements like the world population, male/female ratio, and the monitoring of human activity via surveillance cameras play a critical role in this dystopian future. War casualties have also increased significantly – the trailer lists today’s cumulative casualties at 107,800,000, but in this “near future” world, they’ve increased to 1,240,500,000. How they manage to maintain zero population growth with that many unpredictable casualties just goes to underline how insanely surveiled this world is.
Click below for another new trailer.
Ubisoft Has Faith in Wii U’s Future
Last night I made the case that Wii U’s launch woes are really more the norm than the doom and gloom exception. Turns out Ubisoft seems to agree, as one of their representatives gave the launch a similar characterization.
“As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base,” a Ubisoft rep told Games Industry International in a recent interview. “Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. We’re confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market.”
The Next Generation of FIFA Will be Revealed at the Next Xbox Event
The image above kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it? EA Sports teased that the next generation of FIFA, FIFA ’14, will be unveiled at the next Xbox’s reveal today. The reveal kicks off at 10am Pacific / 12pm Central, which is in just a couple short hours. Be sure to tune in here for all the announcements as they happen.
FIFA ’14 will also launch on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC this fall.
The State of Wii U: Rumors of its Early Death are Greatly Exaggerated
Wii U’s had a rough six months. No denying it. It’s hard to pull off a console launch, and judging by the struggles that 3DS and Vita had in 2011, it would have taken a miracle for Wii U to beat the trend. Since 2013 kicked off, the system has only seen 10 new games – three of which hit today, May 21. The platform’s current weekly sales have become something of a laughingstock among critics. None of this is good.
However, there’s a silver lining beneath all the bad: Wii U is starting to come together as a platform with a mission. And compared to other next-gen devices, it’s actually not doing too badly.
Nintendo Pokes Fun at Kickstarter with Game & Wario ‘Crowdfarter’ Campaign
Kickstarter has been the path to launch for a number of up-and-coming projects, including video games and even game consoles . Now Nintendo’s deciding to integrate the new money-maker into their marketing for Game & Wario, the wacky Wii U game that launches June 23, with the Crowdfarter campaign.
Crowdfarter is a fictional “Kickstarter”-style crowd funding initiative started by none other than the big W himself to “fund” his new game, Game & Wario. “Donations” in the form of social shares will go toward various stretch goals, such as digital swag, ringtones, and a brand-new trailer for the game once funding reaches “100 KATRILLION” coins.
The website also revealed a brand-new game for Game & Wario called “Ashley.” Click below for Wario’s funding pitch and focus group interviews.
Sega’s Yakuza 1&2 Will be Remade in HD for Wii U… in Japan
Looks like Nintendo’s close relationship with Sega extends beyond just the Sonic franchise.
In 2005, Sega introduced a new franchise on PlayStation 2 called Yakuza that has since gone on to spawn multiple sequels, most recently Yakuza 5 for PlayStation 3 (titled Ryu ga Gotoku 5: Yume Kanaeshi Mono in Japan and still unreleased in the West). The first two games in the series were later remade in HD for PlayStation 3 and was re-released in November of last year in Japan.
However, Sega is now bringing that same HD collection of the first two Yakuza games to Wii U… but only in Japan. Click below for a look at the game’s debut trailer and screenshots.
Former GTA Developer Explains Why He’ll Never Make Violent Games Again
Video game violence and its potential link to actual violence has become one of the hottest topics in our culture. Any time a tragic incident like the Sandy Hook shooting occurs, we see many politicians pointing a finger at the entertainment industry. For an interesting change of pace, today we have the issue discussed from the point of view of someone who used to make violent video games for a living, but has now turned his back on that style.
Microsoft Trademarks ‘Forzavista’ Just Ahead of Xbox Reveal
Siliconera has picked out another advance trademark filing, this time from Microsoft for something called “Forzavista.” Previously, the outlet had discovered the “Greatness Awaits” slogan from Sony for their upcoming PS4.
Forzavista will serve as “a feature of interactive video game software which allows players to obtain statistical information of internal and external features of a vehicle and to virtually navigate and operate those vehicles,” according to the filing. This seems to suggest that a new Forza title is on the horizon, probably to be revealed at the Nextbox unveiling tomorrow morning.
Click below for a screen capture of the filing.
Arkham Origins Details Revealed: Fast-Travel, Most Wanted System, and More
Details have been a little scarce since Batman Arkham Origins was announced, but today we’ve got a heaping helping of new information. From plot details to new gameplay mechanics, you can catch your first good roundup of Origins information after the jump.
Resident Evil: Revelations Launch Trailer
It’s always odd sharing a launch trailer for a game that technically has already been released, but in the case of Resident Evil: Revelations, the game really is about to take on a new life. Capcom summed up what to expect from the HD port in a new press release attached to the game’s last trailer before its launch on PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360, and PC tomorrow.
DLC upgrades are on the way June 4 in the form of the “Resistance” and “Enhancement” sets, which offer six upgrades each for $1.99 apiece. In addition, Capcom also revealed that new DLC characters for Raid Mode, including a female version of Hunk and an infected version of Rachel, will be made available beginning on June 11 for $2.99 each.
Check out screenshots of the new Raid Mode characters as well as the new trailer by clicking below.
Sega Reiterates Nintendo Exclusivity for Sonic Lost World, Confirms Fall 2013 Release
Sonic Lost World is exclusive for Wii U and 3DS. We already knew that, but just in case you’re a doubter, Sega confirmed it outright on the game’s official Japanese site with the image you see above.
Alongside the image, the company teased a Fall 2013 release for the game on both 3DS and Wii U. That’s one more game to add to Wii U’s growing list of exclusive titles for this year!
Source: Sega via GoNintendo
Batman: Arkham Origins Debut Trailer
The debut trailer for WB Games Montreal’s Batman: Arkham Origins features a sinister assassination plot by Black Mask to take out Batman, with killers like Deathstroke sent in to do the job. Our first real look at the new Arkham series game is an entirely cinematic one, exploring Batman’s first encounter with one of Black Mask’s hit squads.
In addition, it’s confirmed that the Joker will make an appearance, voiced by Troy Baker, who played Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite. The younger Batman’s voice performance will be handled by Roger Craig Smith, who has voiced Ezio in Assassin’s Creed and Chris Redfield in Resident Evil.
Click below for a few minutes of Batman-y goodness.
