Gaming Editor Fergal Carroll wants your help, talks Sony and hits you with a blast from the past.
The Biggie: This week I will assume you are still playing two of the season’s biggest releases, the Deus Ex-esque Dishonored (that is a mouthful!) and the return of a PC classic, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, while you eagerly await the impending release of Assassin’s Creed 3. At this stage I feel like no matter what I say, you will have already made your decision whether or not to buy AC3 next week.
AC3 is the biggest holiday release alongside Black Ops 2 this year. This time the action takes place during the American Revolution as we leave both Altair and Enzio behind and assume the role of a brand new protagonist, Connor Kenway (his Native American name is Ratohnhaké:ton. If you have ANY idea how to pronounce that, please send a pronunciation guide in to our offices on a postcard or email me). Aside from the new setting you will mostly know what AC3 has to offer. Ubi have completely redesigned both the stealth and fighting though, so look out for a review in the next issue.
The Cheapie: If you liked thatgamecompany’s fantastic Journey, you should definitely check out the latest indie release on PSN, Giant Sparrow’s The Unfinished Swan. Like Journey, it isn’t the longest of games but offers a unique experience. The Unfinished Swan is a first person puzzle game that allows you to discover the world around you by throwing balls of paint everywhere...right? That mightn’t be the best description of it ever but if anyone compares a game to Journey, surely that is enough to pique your interest? It even has Move support!
The Freebie: The Playstation All -Stars Battle Royale beta for the PS3 began last week for Playstation Plus subscribers and for all Vita owners but will become available for everyone this week. Sony’s equivalent to Smash Bros, Battle Royale gathers various characters from famous Sony franchises. The beta allows you to play as Kratos, Sweet Tooth, Colonel Radec, Sly Cooper, PaRappa and Fat Princess on two different stages. It is one of Sony’s biggest holiday releases so you should check it out if you are interested in getting it. I know I will be.
The Favour: This week I’ll ask you to do yourself a favour and buy the nostalgia filled Retro City Rampage. It is both a parody of and throwback to the old days of gaming and is chock full of retro gaming and 80s references. It plays like the old school GTA games except you get even more points for killing people! It is out on Steam now and should be out on PS3/Vita by the end of the month. Don’t fear if you don’t have either of those platforms though, RCR will be hitting every downloadable service by the end of the year which includes XBLA and yes, even WiiWare!
