It’s good to play together

can be plenty of fun alone, but there’s something to be said about a good cooperative experience. Fighting side-by-side with a buddy can make a bad game good, a good game great, and a great game unforgettable.

What did it say before? Apparently whoever will be picked for the position will be have to deal with “optimising and tuning the game resource system for the PS Vita.” Beyond that, nada.

This being Criterion though, chances are owners of Sony’s new handheld are in for a racer worth owning.

Developer Sanzaru ’ President/CEO Glen Egan took to the EU PS Blog to deliver the news, promising the handheld version to hold “all the same awesome Sly Cooper action you will find on the PlayStation 3 along with some very cool Vita specific features that incorporate the front and rear touch screens and motion controls.”

Cross save is in too, allowing players to save the game on the cloud and continue playing on either console.

No dates or pricing yet, though details on those are said to arrive “very soon”.

The series’ official Japanese site has received an update, Andriasang’s noticed, with heavy construction depicted. There’s also a video that recaps the first four that ends with an “and then..”

Not very subtle.

“A first look” is promised for May 24th — aka next Thursday — which is when the newest issue of Japanese mag Famitu hits. Probably not a coincidence.

First details on the sequel arrived back on November.

“How not to launch a console” – by Sega Dreamcast

The Sega Dreamcast launched in Japan on November 27^th 1998. By March 26^th 2001 Nintendo had rather ungraciously bowed out of the console race. The Dreamcast is widely accepted as ahead of its time, it was the first console to include a built in modem, (providing support for online gameplay), and enjoyed some innovative and successful , (Power Stone, Shenmue, Ikaruga, Phantasy Star Online and Rez, are but some of these). Despite launching first in its generation, Sega’s final console was pulled from shelves 2 years, 3 months and 27 days after it began.

The Dreamcast came at a unique time; the success of the Sony PlayStation had crushed the Sega Saturn in the prior generation, (its dominance guaranteeing a market for the PlayStation 2), and the announcement of Microsoft’s first foray into the console market, the Xbox, and Nintendo’s latest console, the Gamecube, killed a lot of the remaining hype for the Dreamcast.

Sega had burned a lot of their fans in the previous generation; pulling the plug on support for the Saturn early caused hesitation in long term fans to be hesitant of investing in Sega products in case they did it again… which they did. Whilst there is no one definitive reason for the failure of the Dreamcast, it’s generally accepted that a combination of piracy, (it was easy to burn to CD-Rs in a time before online passes and serial keys), lack of third party support, (EA would not develop for the system as they focused their efforts elsewhere, meaning no major sports titles were released on the system), and the aforementioned lack of anticipation and excitement for the system.

Whilst Sega managed to save themselves from bankruptcy, the once great console machine now relies too heavily on rehashing and recycling old franchise names such as Sonic the Hedgehog , and re-releasing HD versions of once best sellers Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi. With Nintendo set to release the Wii-U between regular console generations, are they too poised to make the same mistakes Sega did, making rehashed from their once great franchises? Will we see Mario, Zelda and Metroid in their own third party titles by 2020?

Nintendo reported 461.2 million dollars in losses over the last fiscal year, with less than stellar 3DS sales, slow software adoption in the US and Europe and price reductions in both Wii and 3DS claiming significant pieces of responsibility. Nintendo claims that their efforts to boost 3DS sales have been successful and they plan to stop selling the 3DS below cost in an effort to recuperate losses. As it’s extremely unlikely that Nintendo would raise their prices, Nintendo will likely reduce production costs by using cheaper components and services, (much in the same vein as the thin PS3 or the remodelled 360).

Here’s what we know so far: the Wii-U will be capable of 1080p output, have tilt and rumble features, stream content to a tablet-like controller and only support one touch, (most modern phones and tablets support multi-touch). Nintendo have promised a much better, dedicated online service in the Nintendo Network, finally ditching the awful friend codes in favour of a universal user name system. Whilst final graphical specifications have yet to be revealed, which is likely more due to Nintendo not having the final numbers on assembly costs or simple features such as how many USB ports, (and not a publicity stunt for a big reveal), Nintendo boasts that the Wii-U will have superior graphics to the PS3 and 360. However, rumours have already surfaced that the five and a half year old consoles still have superior graphical prowess, for example one developer has claimed the Wii-U is not capable of as many shaders. Could the Wii-U survive on innovation over graphical prowess just as the Wii before it? …but if this proves to be true why are Nintendo bothering to release a HD console this close the end of the cycle that will, or already be, less powerful than its contemporaries within two years?

However, the Wii-U has raised some interesting ideas. For one, Nintendo intends to allow retailers to individually price digital download codes, which apart from pointing to Nintendo supporting digital downloads more thoroughly, finally gives the retailer complete power over pricing of digital content. Very few well-informed gamers buy from high street stores, and even less buy digital copies at over retail cost. However, allowing retailers to individually price digital content could breathe fresh air into both the digital and retail markets simultaneously, (gamers may finally start buying digital content if it costs less in retail stores and means they can get it day one without any delivery hiccups). This in turn reduces production costs for retailers, (digital codes, often distributed on cards, receipts or emails, costs significantly less than their physical disc and box counterparts).

Nintendo have always attempted to incorporate their handheld devices into any console generation, dating back to the Transfer Pak for Nintendo 64, (which allowed gamers to play Pokémon Blue, Red and Yellow on their TVs, and transfer Pokémon between the two for use in both), and the Wii-U is no different. Although the new Super Smash Bros. will not make the launch window, Nintendo have claimed that they will adopt a central link between the 3DS and the Wii-U, and that this link will be the central axis.

Nintendo claim that big names such as Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Batman: Arkham City will be making their way to the Wii-U in the fall, (supported by this potentially fake release list). With a North American launch date of October 30^th 2012 for Assassin’s Creed 3 does this mean we will see the Wii-U on, or before this date?  Nintendo faces a serious problem here. Why would an established gamer buy a Wii-U to play these titles when the chances are they already own a PS3 or an Xbox 360? Even the rare few that don’t currently have either console could pick one up for much less money than a new Wii-U at launch, and doing so would provide access to an already well-established multiplayer base, and an experienced multiplayer suite, in comparison to the untested Nintendo Network. Look at the original Assassin’s Creed. It played better and looked better on the 360. It was built for it, on it; companies were still getting used to the PS3 developer kits and it showed. If this is any indication of what the Wii-U faces then it will be a good 6-12 months before we see the same levels of quality in Wii-U titles.

In a dangerously close echo of their decision regarding the Dreamcast, EA have announced that Crysis 3 will not be coming to the Wii-U. Whether or not this is indicative of future EA titles remains to be seen but it should not be forgotten that Crysis 2 was somewhat of a graphical powerhouse on the PS3 and 360 and with developers not yet familiar with the Wii-U it makes sense for EA not to waste potential revenue on a title that most likely won’t sell well, and doesn’t mean that future EA titles won’t come to the system.

Whilst Wii-U versions of could easily implement aspects of the gameplay and/or menus to the tablet, (placing Assassin’s Creed III’s map or inventory onto the tablet or using the tablet screen as Alien: Colonial Marine’s motion detector), it has to be asked – where are Nintendo’s 1^st party titles? The best way without doubt to draw in day one purchases is to support the launch with a strong first party line up. It would most definitely draw in the hardcore Nintendo fanboys whilst simultaneously showing the undecided and unimpressed the unique gameplay opportunities that the Wii-U brings to the industry. It may even entice PS3 and 360 owners to buy a Wii-U to supplement their ‘mainstream’ console experience.

Nintendo need strong first party to highlight the unique gameplay opportunities much like Wii Sports and Mario Galaxy did for the Wii. If Nintendo don’t have these in the pipeline, or these titles are simply HD versions of titles we’ve already seen on the Wii then Nintendo may as well have waited for the next true generation to release the Wii-U with competitive visuals, or controversially drop out of console race completely and focus on making quality third person titles.

The Rayman Legends trailer that leaked two weeks ago showed a new rendering engine than with superior lighting effects and increased depth, as well as new enemies and settings and new playable characters. Multiplayer was briefly mentioned, but only through competing with ghosts of other players in challenges submitted by other players, (introduced in the Vita version), and in mini- such as the 2v2 football from the trailer. However, the most interesting revelations came towards the end of the trailer where several Wii U exclusive features were revealed…

Details below.

• Amazon: Free Call of Duty: Black Ops II digital wallpaper with pre-order.
• top: Free 2-sided Call of Duty: Black Ops II posters with pre-order.  Free Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 prestige token for top’s PoweUp Rewards members (X360/PS3 only).
• Best Buy: Free Call of Duty: Black Ops II dog tag with pre-order.

It was today announced that Black Ops II would be getting a new trailer this week as well. Keep an eye on that this Saturday.

To get into the beta, you’ll have to pick up Ghost Recon: Future Soldier as it launched next week at top and be a  top PowerUp Rewards member, in which case you’ll receive a code which can be redeemed here. Afterwards, once the beta is live, you’ll get an invite.

The full game will launch on all PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in September.

Single- and multiplayer plus 4-player co-op are all mentioned. And it’s a new intellectual property to boot.

“Opportunity to work on MMO like title for next generation consoles,” reads a listing on LinkedIn (via). ‘AAA game and budget!”

The following ambitious description is included as well: “This is to assist in the development of a major brand new IP that is being targeted for the future generation of platforms and will be an RPG based game with a radical new take on how co-operative and multiplayer gameplay feeds into the experience, while blending online and single-player into one complete experience.”

There are already over 150 souls working on the project, with this specific listing looking for extra muscle in the form of a multiplayer level designer.

The project is further described: “complex progression system, multiple routes through the campaign, and an MMO like multiplayer experience that will affect the outcome of the player experience, and many other attributes surrounding their profile (such as the environment and the outcome of certain actions)”.

When contacted, Lionhead declined to give any details. They would only say: “Lionhead is in the business of making great . We regularly look to hire great individuals to help in this cause. We have no further details to share at this time.”

Talking about the work going into Master Chief’s next three-game arc, titled by 343 as the “Reclaimer Saga,” O’Connor said that the company has about a decade’s worth of the story figured out, though upgrades in technology — Xbox 360′s successor? — will ultimately have a big say in what direction they take the Chief.

“We have things mapped out fairly far, probably 10 years, but they’re pretty vague,” O’Connor said. “It’s big plot points. We think that X will happen, we think that Y will happen, we think that they should go visit Z.”

“I think there’s a danger in getting too granular in your planning, because game development is different. If this were a novel, you could just keep writing it, but new technology appears and gives you new opportunities, pieces of the sandbox end up being more or less popular than you might have expected.”

We get to find out how the beginning of 343′s decade-long plan shakes out when Halo 4 comes out on November 6th.