The Weekly : January 18-24

The Weekly: January 18-24

The gaming world just keeps on turning and that means plenty of news, reviews and eSports too each and every week.
Let’s start our weekly wrap looking at the games that released in the week gone by. Remasters are all the rage these days and who could resist reviving a zombie classic in Resident Evil 0. Although the update has improved how this 2002 game handles, Resident Evil 0 was one of the weaker early Resident Evil entries making this HD Remaster one that possibly should have remained buried. Also releasing this past week was Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, an RPG for the 3DS that despite getting their combat system right, creases when it comes to characterisation, dialogue and story.

As some games release, other games are announcing their release. Retro gamers everywhere rejoiced when SEGA revealed mid-week a SEGA 3D Classics Collection will release April 26 on the 3DS. The collection includes Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2, Fantasy II W, Sonic The Hedgehog, Thunder Blade, Galaxy Force II, and Altered Beast. It will also come with two bonus SEGA Master System games, Fantasy Zone II and Maze Walker. Meanwhile after releasing a suitably bloody amount of DLC, Mortal Kombat X is set to be repackaged and sold as Mortal Kombat XL. Featuring all past and present DLC, the bundled edition of the game will hit store shelves  March 2 for PS4 and Xbox One. If you are yet to get your hands on a 3DS then you may soon be tempted to with two new editions being announced, the first of which is the Hyrule Edition 3DS XL which launches on March 24 the same day as Hyrule Warriors: Legends. The other version, again to commemorate a game’s release, is the Fire Emblems Fates 3DS XL available February 19. And lastly, although not yet confirmed, the suspected Destiny sequel is supposedly set for a delay with a September release date now reportedly ruled out (too much speculation for one sentence if you ask me!).

The rumours are well and truly flying ahead of Nintendo’s planned launch of their next console, the code-named NX, this year. One batch of rumours suggests the console will work alongside rival consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One in conjunction with PC’s and even smartphones. A free online service is also mentioned alongside the possibility of backwards compatibility. The second lot of rumours suggests a portable version of the NX will release in 2016 prior to a 2017 release  of a ‘console partner device’. Again it’s all rumour at this point but what would you like to see in Nintendo’s next console?

Two legendary directors have combined their creative genius in what would have been one unbelievably great and geeky conversation. Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima and Star Wars Episode 7 director J.J. Abrams met to discuss Kojima’s new game studio with Abrams production company, Bad Robot who are themselves currently collaborating with game developer Infinity Blade. Now who wouldn’t want to see q Kojima/Abrams team up?!

The Assassin’s Creed movie has finished filming ahead of its planned December 21 release. Starring Michael Fassbender, the lead admitted in December that he only just played his first Assassin’s Creed game. Will the movie prove the history of video game movies wrong and be any good?
In more Ubisoft related news, the company has decided to partner with Elijah Wood’s production company SpectreVision, in their pursuit to create virtual reality games. Elijah AKA ‘Frodo’ from The Lord of the Rings movies said of the pairing, “As a longtime gamer, I’m first and foremost a fan and admirer of Ubisoft… so to be collaborating with them within the realm of VR is an incredible treat!” SpectreVision has released two movies since their formation, a zombie comedy starring Elijah called ‘Çooties’ and Iranian vampire flick ‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’. They will now be collaborating with Ubisoft’s FunHouse Studio in Montreal as they look to tackle the realm of VR.

Metal music fans rejoice, an Iron Maiden RPG is in development. The legendary metal band has teamed up with game developers Roadhouse Interactive and 50cc Games to announce Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast. The free to play game will hit smartphones sometime this year and sees players take on the role of Eddie, Iron Maiden’s mascot.

To Esports and after the launch of ESPN’s eSport site, video game developers have been surveyed on the industry with 90% of respondents saying that they believe eSports are a sustainable, long term business. Another aspect of the survey found that of the 70% of Americans that play games, 18% had watched or attended an eSports event.

The video game forecast for the week ahead is a bright one with LEGO Marvel’s Avengers touching down on most platforms January 26, Final Fantasy Explorers hitting the 3DS the same day while This War of Mine: The Little Ones will find its way to the PS4 and Xbox One January 29.

And that my fellow gamers, was the week that was, game on!