While on one hand, Microsoft was investigating the leak of an early build of Gears of War 3, Google too seemed to be in a pickle of sorts when reports of its new social networking site gearing up to include Facebook-like games surfaced on the web. On the other hand, while EA was forecasting the profits it would generate through the massive takeover of PopCap Games, Nintendo was busy counting the zeroes in the 2.5 Billion Yen it lost in Q2. From start to the end, July was never short of drama. Here we put together a list of the ups and downs that lambasted the gaming world this month.
Some idle geek, on peeking into Google+’s source codes, found out that they contained at least two references indicating that games could be included on the site. The rumor just refuses to die down even though it is yet to turn out to be true. Moving on, Microsoft’s Gears of War 3 could arguably be the most anticipated game of this year and the flurry surrounding it is heart-stirring. At such a time, reports of an early build of the game being leaked online would have proved a huge blow to Microsoft’s marketing plans. Nevertheless, all we are concerned about is how jaw-dropping the game will be when it releases this September
In one of the many incidents which seem to make PC gamers feel as if they are inferior to console gamers, Games for Windows shifted its base Xbox.com. Its key competitor, Steam was also in the news around the same time. The chitchat amongst insiders was that due to a tiff with EA it had pulled down some games including Crysis 2 from its service. EA’s launch of Origin had intensified the rumors. It needed David DeMartini, head of Origin to come out and clear the air around the issue as he elucidated that EA will continue to offer games on all the major download sites, including Steam and that the problems were a result of ‘business terms’ set by Steam.
Uncharted 3 Multiplayer beta had taken the PSN by storm when it launched on Jun, 28. And same was the case all through the time it ran, so it was not at all a surprise when it hit the one million players mark in a few days time. Another game which had us affixed to our PS3s was the incredibly strange and scary horror title Limbo. After grabbing rave reviews on the Xbox 360, it finally reached the PSN. And if that’s not enough, the indie title is on its way to PC, coming August 2. Meanwhile, Reliance Entertainment released India’s answer to Steam. Zapak Plus looks promising, packing in more than 120 full version games including Dirt 2, Sherlock Homes and more.
Fans who’ve been eagerly awaiting the Wii U console were in for rude shock as Nintendo announced that it is pondering over letting third-party publishers setting up their own online networks on the console. This brought to the fore, a heap of questions like what would happen to cross game chats, messaging and friend lists? No follow up on the news by Nintendo yet. Around the same time, we came to know that Ra. One the game will be marching onto the PS3 and PS2 in September. Based on an upcoming movie starring Shah Rukh Khan, the game is apparently being written by Khan himself.
Critics who were complaining about the scarcity of content for the 3DS were silenced by Nintendo in July by releasing several new games for the handheld. Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy was a big title confirmed for the 3DS. Fans of the franchise were disappointed to know that the title actually is a theater rhythm action game. Around the same time, in a massive deal expected to be worth $750 million, EA acquired Plants vs. Zombies-makers PopCap Games. While you drool at the amount we must let you know that EA has been on an acquisition spree and the enormity of this deal indicates that they might take it easy for at least some time now.
Mid-July saw Netflix debuting on the 3DS. The much hyped ‘no need for special glasses’ 3D video capabilities could finally be exploited. Meanwhile, Steam released its new content delivery system hailing it to be ‘better, stronger, faster.’ What’s more? Dota 2 will be delivered using this system. So fans can start expecting better download speeds when the game releases later this year. Capcom’s decision to create Mega Man 3 based completely on gamer inputs seemed like an over-ambitious project from the start itself. The game was eventually abandoned leaving fans in disarray. Capcom also confirmed that it had no plans to restart the project anytime soon.
Thereon came, the San-Diego Comic-Con which fell nowhere short of expectations. Besides Prototype 2 getting an April 24 release date, the event also saw a demo of The Darkness II. But the highlight of the event without a doubt was the unveiling of the Kinect Star Wars bundle. If the R2-D2-themed Xbox 360 console was not enough there was the C3PO-themed wireless controller. If only there was a Darth Vader-themed Kinect sensor. Now that we think, would’ve been super! The Rock Band library reached another milestone as it released its 3000th song. And giving away 3000 songs for free was a nice way to celebrate this.
Even towards the end of the month, Nintendo continued to shock us. This time, it was the price cut of the 3DS. This big slump from $249.99 to $169.99 looked like a desperate attempt to claim sales in the holiday season. This came after the Japanese megacorp declared that it had suffered a loss of 2.5 Billion Yen in Q2. The month drew to a close with Insomniac Games announcing a public beta of Resistance 3.
With this, we wrap up this run down, and just hope that August draws up something more interesting than what July did.