Weekly Videogame News Roundup

When it comes to video games I trawl the internets daily in search of news. I think it's about time to do something with all that information: give it to you. Free of charge, too.





Sega announces new Sonic game

 Seeeeeega! Good times

Lock up your hopes and dreams, people, Sega is taking yet another stab at  revitalizing its long-dead main franchise, this time with "Project Needlemouse", which is apparently going to be a full HD, 2D sequel.

You know how it is with Sonic games. Some screens get released, they look great, there are no dumb sidekicks, the graphics are fantastic, and then you find out Sonic turns into a werewolf or something. I'm not going to get my hopes up again, but this does seem to have more of a chance at being successful than any of the recent games. Just as long as Sega keeps in mind that "speed" doesn't equal "Press right on the D-Pad and watch Sonic fly through the level on his own" (which is the main reason I don't like the DS and GBA games).

(Link)

Silent Hill Homecoming not coming out in Japan

Apparently Silent Hill Homecoming, the latest entry in Konami's venerable franchise, isn't going to make it to Japan after performing poorly in Europe and America.

Speaking as one of the few Silent Hill fans who liked Double Helix's take on the series, I'm dissapointed to see a game that's already been blasted by the mainstream press and the eternally unpleasable SH fanbase (about which much more shortly) suffer another humiliation. I can understand the decision, though- Western developed games don't tend to do well in Japan, and Konami are probably occupied with the (hopefully) upcoming release of Silent Hill Shattered Memories.

(Link)

Left 4 Dead 2 Boycotters brainwahsed by monolithic corporation

When they came for the fanboys I did nothing, for I was not a fanboy

The Left 4 Dead 2 boycott is one of those black holes of Internet stupidity that I can't help but be fascinated by (insert cliche about car crashes here). For those not in the know, The announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 caused a furor on the interwebs when Valve had the temerity to announce it only a year after the original game launched, leading a pack of dingleberries to declare a 40,000+ strong boycott of the game and game journalists to search desperately for a "justification" for the sequel's existence (strange how that never comes up when it's the next near-identical Madden sequel that's being previewed).

Now the two ringleaders of this subersive movement have been invited to Valve headquarters to play the thing for themselves, leading to a rapid 180 in opinion (the fact that new L4D1 DLC was announced a while ago probably didn't hurt either).

(Link)

The Secret World gets less secret

 

I bet it drops a +5 Shotgun of genre evolution

I'm a big fan of MMOs. Or rather I'm a fan of the idea of MMOs, but the execution often leaves much to be desired. Even World of Warcraft, which I enjoy, frequently feels like a chore to play. Recently a few developers have all simultaneously realised that MMOs don't have to be clones of each other, leading to a wave of new games that break away from the WoW mold in various ways. For my money, Bioware's Old Republic is in the lead, but The Secret World looks like a strong contender for a close second place.

Set in the modern day instead of Ye Olde Fantasy Worlde and drawing from a diverse range of urban legends, supernatural phonomena and conspiracy theories instead of a diverse range of Dungeons and Dragons, The Secret World really isn't your typical MMO. The setting was all that set it apart before, but now gamplay details have emerged and they're extremely promising. No levels? No experience? Real-time skill based combat? Yes Please!

Read more here or at IGN.