Needless to say that if you were to pick up all of the games listed in the round-up this week, your bank balance would not look kindly upon you. However, why not pick up your favourites now and ask Santa for the others at Christmas? A selection of news has been prepared for you this week to read as you wish, and we have also previewed a number of games coming this week. So pull up a chair and enjoy!
Weekly news:
Destiny 2 under development
Activision have confirmed that Destiny 2 is already under development. Since it has been announced that the first game, released in September, has become the biggest new IP launch in UK history, it is not a surprise that work has begun on the sequel so soon. Fans will not have to wait until the next full game for new content as the first DLC expansion pack, called The Dark Below, is due for release on 9th December and it will be followed by House of Wolves in the new year.
Ubisoft’s flagship games removed from Steam
The Crew, Assassin’s Creed Unity, and Far Cry 4 have all been removed from the UK Steam store, then reinstated, then as of this writing removed again, following what is speculated to be a dispute between Valve and Ubisoft over the price of the games (priced at £49.99 each on PC). However, no official reason has been given by Valve or Ubisoft. All of the games are available through other retailers including two through EA’s Origin platform. Although, if Ubisoft are unable to have the games put back on Steam by release they are likely to suffer significantly in sales. Those who have already pre-ordered the games on Steam will not be affected.
Next-gen release of Grand Theft Auto V to feature first-person mode
Developer of the GTA series, Rockstar Games, has already detailed what new content is to be found in the upcoming release of GTA V on PS4, XBOX One and PC, including new activities, vehicles and weapons as well as over 100 new songs on the in-game radio stations. This week it was also confirmed that the re-release will feature an optional first-person mode which will allow you to wreak havoc as Trevor, Franklin and Michael in Los Santos in a more immersive way. With all the new content, the game seems quite appealing to owners of next-gen systems, regardless of whether they also own a copy on XBOX 360 or PS3.
Last Week’s Releases (03/11/14):
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare: 3/11/14
It’s Call of Duty time of the year again. Advanced Warfare will be set far in the future making for some much more exotic weapons and systems than we’ve seen in previous titles including laser rifles, exoskeleton battlesuits, jump packs, and drop pods. The game is being made by a new developer, Sledgehammer Games, who previously worked with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Because of this we might see a new style on gameplay come to the series. The addition of Sledgehammer Games also means that further games will be on a three-year development cycle rather than two.
Football Manager 2015: 07/11/14
Much like the Fifa series, Football Manager now sees an annually release cycle, with updates to gameplay, kits, players and other tweaks. Very popular amongst armchair football managers, it is unlikely that this football management simulator will be going away anytime soon.
Games released this week:
Halo: The Master Chief Collection: 11/11/14
The Master Chief Collection brings Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, 3, and 4 to Xbox One with 60fps and updated graphics as well as a snippet of the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer. At £45 for all 4 games, this collection is a must for those who never got a chance to play the Halo series before, and is likely to remain one of the best game collections for some time.
Assassin’s Creed Unity/Rogue: 14/11/14
The Assassin’s Creed franchise takes us to revolutionary France in this latest installment, with new weapons, combat mechanics and the first skills tree seen in the series. A reworked navigation system should make it easier to traverse the vast city of Paris. Other time periods of Paris’ history will also be visited in the game at certain points such as World War II. You’ll help Arno uncover the Templar connections his family holds while in the present day, assassin’s want to learn what Arno discovered about the Templar Order. Also out on the same day is the last-gen exclusive Assassin’s Creed Rogue which, in a first for the series, sees you play as one of the Templars instead of an Assassin. With most of the hype surrounding Unity, it remains to be seen whether Rogue will deliver on the PS3 and XBOX 360, but it is sure to please owners of their systems that they get to become assassins once more.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015: 13/11/14
This is PES‘s first foray onto next-gen gaming systems and publisher, Konami, are hopeful that this could kickstart the series again, especially in the UK where the series consistently loses out to FIFA in sales. However, with the rights to the Premier League and Championship still held by FIFA, PES only holds the rights to Manchester United, meaning that fans of teams in those divisions are unlikely to switch allegiances soon. Nevertheless, the game reportedly has graphics to rival FIFA, and gameplay is said to be more realistic than said rival. Considering the lack of hype surrounding the game’s launch however, we don’t expect PES to break new ground this year.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham: 14/11/14
This is the first instalment in the LEGO Batman series which will see the caped crusader and other DC comics heroes and enemies go to space to stop villain Brainiac from ‘collecting’ Earth. Featuring over 150 characters to unlock from the DC comics upon which this is based, the game will appeal to children and adults alike due to the consistently fun gameplay. A must-have for any superhero fan or fan of the LEGO series.
